A House of Lords Liaison Committee report has called for a total ban on gambling advertising, marketing and sports sponsorship in the UK. Between 1 and 1.5 million British adults — around 2.4% of those aged 18 or over — meet criteria for problem gambling, the report states.
The report cites research linking advertising to betting participation. Football fans were 22–33% more likely to place bets when watching World Cup matches with betting ads on screen. UK operators spent £2 billion ($2.62 billion) on advertising last year. If advertising did not drive participation, the report argues, operators would not invest such sums.
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), representing most operators, says a ban would push players to the black market and hurt the economy. Entain (Ladbrokes, Coral) cut 400 staff, bet365 cut 340. The BGC claims 4,500 jobs have been lost since tax increases. BGC chief Grainne Hurst says members have voluntarily reduced advertising, allocated 20% of budgets to safer gambling messages and banned ads during live sports broadcasts.
The House of Lords counters that harm from gambling outweighs the sector's economic contribution. The report acknowledges a ban would 'very likely' hurt the industry but calls it necessary to address a public health problem. Long-term benefits include lower economic costs from problem gambling and redirection of player spending into other parts of the economy.
The Netherlands banned TV and radio betting ads in 2023. Operators reported new player registrations fell 35% immediately after the ban. Regulator KSA notes a rise in unlicensed betting but says the ban reduces ad exposure for young people and vulnerable groups.
