Gambling Ads Still Not Banned on the Tube Despite Mayor’s Promise
Sadiq Khan has failed to keep to his promise of banning gambling ads on the Tube and is being criticised.
London mayor failing to enact gambling ads ban on Tube. © TheOtherKev, Pixabay
Key Facts:
- Sadiq Khan has faced criticism for failing to ban gambling adverts on the Tube
- He had made the promise in 2021 but still hasn’t fulfilled it
- He wants to learn more about the government’s gambling-related plans first
In his 2021 re-election manifesto, current London Mayor Sadiq Khan vowed to ban adverts for gambling venues and websites on the Tube. He said if re-elected, he would instruct Transport for London (TfL) to remove all gambling-related adverts and accept no new ones.
He was motivated to do this by the devastating way gambling addiction can destroy lives and families, as per his 2021 re-election manifesto.
It is now four years since Khan made the pledge, but he hasn’t followed through with it yet. Adverts related to gambling still appear throughout the Tube network and could still be affecting people in a negative way, creating problems that may arise further down the line.
The Mayor’s Reason for the Delay
Caroline Russell, a Green member of the London Assembly, wrote to Khan asking him when he would develop a more ethical advertising standard for the Tube system. The mayor was asked if he was waiting for Londoners’ reactions to gambling ads and media pressure to build up first.
Khan replied that he wanted to learn more about the government’s plans to tackle gambling adverts before introducing any changes to TfL’s policy. The current Labour government, which came into power in 2024, has pledged to reduce harms related to gambling.
Labour has vowed to work closely with the UK’s gambling industry to ensure that as many people as possible gamble responsibly. The political group has also said it will reform the current gambling regulations and improve protections in order to help people more effectively.
Previous Criticism for Not Keeping the Promise
Some will not be happy that Khan is seemingly waiting for the government to act when he still hasn’t fulfilled a promise, he made four years ago. In March 2024, he was warned by the London Assembly’s health committee that the city’s problem gambling was around twice the national average.
The committee said it had been told that if City Hall banned gambling adverts, there could be legal challenges. This could happen because City Hall would be using its own definition of problem gambling as opposed to one legally set in stone.
At the time, City Hall said it had already asked both the government and a range of public health partners for a clear definition. If given this, it would be able to use this definition as justification for enforcing the ban, presumably without facing legal challenges.
Dr Tom Coffey, Khan’s health advisor, was the one who told the committee the reasons for the lack of action. He said once a government-approved definition was published, he and his team would act as soon as possible to enforce a ban on gambling ads on the Tube.
He also stressed that if the ban was enforced without the government’s definition, the costs of fighting legal challenges could be in the millions of pounds. He said that making a move that would result in huge costs is pretty much the opposite of what people want him to do.
