UK public support ban on gambling ads at sporting events, charity says | Gambling

Gambling

GambleAware says the government has “overlooked” the issue and is calling for a ban on advertising ahead of the water tournament

Thursday 27 June 2024 07.00 CEST

Britain’s leading gambling charity has called on the next government to ban betting advertising at sporting events and on previous television, citing research showing strong public support for tighter controls.

The survey, for GambleAware, which comes amid the usual marketing frenzy that accompanies a major football tournament like Euro 2024, found that two-thirds of people in the UK think there is too much betting advertising.

These ads pose a particular risk to people with gambling problems, who are almost 40 times more likely than the general public to gamble more as a result of seeing them, the charity found.

The government published a white paper on gambling regulation last year which outlined a number of proposals for tighter regulation, such as a £5 cap on stakes on digital slot machines and new accessibility checks to stop excess losses.

But the change would have left advertising largely untouched, an omission that GambleAware previously called a “missed opportunity.”

The charity is calling on the next government to go further and ban all gambling on sporting events. This would include removing sponsorship from sportswear and merchandise, as well as from wider stadium areas.

Premier League clubs have voluntarily agreed to drop front shirt sponsorship from gambling brands from 2026, although prominent pitch boards will remain, while the deal does not cover teams further down the football pyramid.

GambleAware, which is funded by industry donations, is also calling for a pre-roll ban on all broadcast gambling ads on TV, video-on-demand and radio.

At the moment, the industry is guided by another voluntary measure, the “whistle-to-whistle” ban by which it commits to not advertising during the broadcast of sporting events.

GambleAware chief executive Zoe Osmond highlighted concerns such as the high volume of gambling adverts on radio during school hours, calling on the next government to take action.

“(Advertising) has been overlooked,” she said. “Even if there had been no election, we would have called on the government to do so.”

Gambling Minister Stuart Andrew previously said his department had not acted on the advertising because of a lack of evidence that marketing by gambling firms was causing harm.

Osmond pointed to a survey for the charity in which 40 per cent of people with gambling problems said adverts had led them to spend more time or money on bets.

“The data is starting to make you feel that the last government’s denial that there is no causality needs to be re-examined,” she said.

The charity also called for smoking health warnings on gambling products, warning punters of the potential risks.

A spokesman for industry lobby group the Betting & Gaming Council said: “The regulated betting and gaming industry provides vital funding to some of the country’s most popular sports, including the English Football League and its clubs, which they get £40 million a year.

“The government has previously stated that research has not established a causal link between exposure to advertising and the development of problem gambling.

“Betting advertising and sponsorship must follow strict rules and safer gambling messages are displayed regularly and prominently.”