UK Lawmakers Call For Gambling Ads Reform To Protect Young People

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All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling Reform (APPG) and Peers for Gambling Reform (PGR) have published a report, suggesting a fundamental change in promotion and marketing. They note that current legislation fails to protect children and younger people who remain exposed to advertising that is likely to result in future participation in gambling and betting activities.

Key Takeaways

• The core demand to protect children is to impose a ban on ads before 9 P.M.
• UK gambling firms spend around £1.5 to £2 billion on marketing purposes.
• Great Britain lags behind Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium, which already set sweeping bans on partnerships and advertising.
• Slots ads should be banned, labelled as “the most harmful” form of gambling products online.
• The report calls for ending free spins, free bets, and bet boosters as the key forms of direct marketing.

The Scale of the UK Gambling Advertising Problem

The growing number of ads on social media, TV, and sports broadcasts to which children and young people are exposed is one of the key reasons for the harm they’ll face in the coming decades. APPG and PGR pointed out that the large marketing budgets of UK firms are an element of strategy to normalise gambling among children and adults.

The research of the University of Bristol says that 96% of youth aged 11-24 who have come across the promotions in the last month are likely to start this activity. The Young People and Gambling report states that almost 80% of children see ads on TV, social media, and other media.

Proposed Measures for Children's Protection

Young people are growing up surrounded by ads, so the offered measures aim to stop it. Key proposals include:

• Gambling advertisements on social media, radio, and TV should only start at 9 P.M.
• Horse racing and greyhound racing broadcasts are the only sports events to allow sponsorship.
• It’s necessary to remove any gambling-related content from video games with a PEGI rating of less than 18.
• Policymakers offer to set restrictions on influencers and content creators that mirror the current social media paid partnerships guidelines.

Current Policy Failures Found

Another point highlighted in the report is the inability of the legislation to regulate gambling advertising. The key findings concerned the following policies:

• Sponsorship Code of Conduct failed to reduce the number of messages players see.
• Front of Shirt ads account for a tiny part of the overall presence of gambling marketing in Premier League broadcasts.
• Whistle-to-whistle restriction still allows exposure to marketing, despite the limits.

One More Attempt to Crack Down on the Black Market

APPG expressed concerns about the presence of illegal operators in the UK, their advertising in particular. The report stressed that the mutual efforts of the government, UKGC, and social media are necessary to stop the black market promotion. The sweeping ban on unlicensed operator ads was proposed alongside the mandatory KYC in digital advertising.

What Comes Next

Any regulations, policies, and reports aimed at making the sector safer and minimising risks of harm hardly make sense while the new generation is growing up seeing gambling ads everywhere.

APPG and PGR are sure that the government has the power to implement most of the proposed changes. Otherwise, the expected gambling harm could soon become the reality that damages the health and finances of youth.