Betting Ads Need Restrictions, UK Lagging Behind Other Countries
Great Britain’s gambling advertising regulations should be changed to introduce a watershed, says charity GambleAware. It says the nation’s rules are too lenient. To some extent, many people agree with this proposal.
GambleAware is calling on the government to restrict gambling advertisements. © JESHOOTS-com, Pixabay
GambleAware Wants Gambling Ads Restricted In UK
Gambling advertisements should be restricted in Great Britain as the country has some of the most lenient rules for the sector in Europe, according to new research.
A new report commissioned by GambleAware and produced by the University of Bristol and Ipsos found that restrictions in the country need to be updated.
GambleAware, a charity that provides support for those who are struggling to control their betting, says other nations are increasingly introducing new restrictions on the sector.
It pointed out there is a high level of public support for a change in gambling regulations.
More than two-thirds of people (67%) believe there is too much gambling advertising (67%), and a higher percentage want regulations relating to ads on social media (74%) and TV (72%).
Labour pledged to reform the gambling industry prior to its win at this year’s general election, but is yet to confirm its plans for updating the sector’s rules.
Bombardment Of Gambling Marketing
Zoë Osmond, GambleAware’s chief executive, said the charity is looking forward to the government’s introduction of a statutory levy for the sector.
“But we mustn’t forget that the bombardment of gambling marketing in this country is a key reason why people find themselves in a position where they need advice, support or treatment,” she said in a statement released to mark the new report.
“The changes we are proposing are fair and sensible, but crucially will make a huge difference – gambling harms can affect anyone, and we must do everything we can to keep people safe from gambling harm.”
GambleAware’s report said Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands are some of the countries to have brought in new restrictions. The charity wants:
- A pre-watershed ban on broadcast adverts
- Restrictions on gambling content and marketing online
- A blanket ban across sports
- Mandatory health warnings
Work Of Advocacy
The GambleAware report is a flawed piece of work according to the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), which describes itself as an industry standards body but is often labelled as a lobby group for the sector.
A BGC spokesperson said: “This report is a work of advocacy, not academia, based on misused statistics and we do not recognise its findings or its conclusions.”
The BGC has regularly told the government to ignore calls for more restrictions on the gambling sector, claiming it would lead to more illegal betting in the UK.
The Conservative government refused to bring in restrictions on advertising for the gambling sector, claiming there is not enough evidence that the promotion of gambling leads to harm.
Dr Raffaello Rossi, a marketing researcher at the University of Bristol, who worked on the GambleAware report, said: “Our research shows that Great Britain has the strongest evidence of the gambling marketing’s harms but some of Europe’s fewest restrictions. This suggests that the lack of tight restrictions isn’t due to insufficient evidence but, rather, a lack of political will.”
