New Regulations for Gambling TV Ads Set to Come into Play

We have seen a huge surge in gambling advertisements on TV, but if new regulations come into play we could be about to see a reduction in those. Gambling companies have agreed to review the frequency of adverts on television due to concerns raised by the public. This comes on the back of the news from the Labour party that they would ban gambling advertising during live sporting events to aid problem gamblers to fight their addiction.

The Gambling Commission has reported that there are currently 430,000 problem gamblers in the UK. The Remote Gambling Association, which includes Bet365, William Hill, Ladbrokes and others have already released a statement saying they were concerned to hear about the issues the public had and vowed to work together in an attempt to do something about it.

The RGA board have met recently, and they have discussed the following proposals:

• - A complete ban on pre-watershed advertising by all gambling companies
• - Restricting the number of gambling adverts to one per commercial break
• - The banning of ‘in play’ betting ads during sporting events

The relationship between football and gambling has drawn closer over the past few years, and the sport is now as closely associated with gambling as it has ever been. Campaigners have suggested that the use of adverts during football matches ‘normalises’ betting, and doesn’t highlight the risks. Over half of the football clubs who currently play in the top two divisions in England have gambling companies advertised on their shirt, showing just how close the relationship is.

In another recent report, it has been said that the number of children that are classed as having a gambling problem affecting them has quadrupled to 50,000. The RGA has responded to this by saying they are always looking to improve and review their ways, and things were already in place for 2021. The outcome of their review is unknown right now, but it is expected that 2021 will bring about some changes.

Labour have been involved again with the subject of gambling and they have said they would like to see a 1% levy placed upon gambling companies, which would be used to treat more gambling addicts when they need help.

Deputy Leader of the party Tom Watson has suggested that could bring a fund of £140 million a year to help problem gamblers based on industry figures. They showed that betting on football generated revenue of £1.4 billion in 2017. This is in comparison to the voluntary, not forced, revenue that is currently in place and is thought to bring in around £10 million to help problem gamblers.

This would be a huge change in the money available, and those opposed to gambling would see it as a step in the right direction for gambling companies. With plans to change advertisement rules, we could be about to see a major shakeup on our television screens at some point in 2021.

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