Northern Ireland Seeks to Reduce Gambling Ads Amid Harm Concerns

Northern Ireland’s All-Party Group on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling has asked the government to protect vulnerable groups from harm by restricting gambling ads. This comes shortly after the Republic of Ireland introduced similar measures.

Ireland Just Updated Its Framework

The Republic of Ireland, for context, recently updated its regulatory framework by enacting the Gambling Regulation Act 2024. Per the new rules, operators must obey stricter rules when it comes to promoting their products.

One major change is that Irish operators must now refrain from running ads between 5:30 am and 9 pm on television, radio and select online platforms. Social media ads, on the other hand, are allowed to target only people who are already following the gambling company being promoted.

These restrictions aligned with the new powers that allow the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland to decide when operators can broadcast and display ads. The reforms also allowed the regulator to decide how frequently operators can show their ads.

In addition to that, operators must not broadcast ads that may appeal to children.

Northern Ireland Is Falling Behind  

While the UK already prohibits ads that may incentivize children to bet, its rules are otherwise laxer. Because of that, the All-Party Group demanded action, asking Westminster lawmakers to update the British regulations.

The group insisted that the plentitude of sports betting ads normalizes gambling as a normal part of the sports experience. Philip McGuigan, the group’s chairman, argued that the Republic of Ireland has the right idea and that Northern Ireland should follow suit. He said that the changes are focused on protecting vulnerable groups from harm and ensuring the Irish people’s wellbeing.

Vice-chair Robbie Butler added that Northern Ireland is lagging behind its southern neighbor and is the only local jurisdiction that is yet to update its gambling legislation. While he admitted that the Northern Ireland executive doesn’t have the time to push for gambling reforms, he suggested that the Westminster government could take some time to protect the citizens of Northern Ireland from harm.

Butler explained: “The Government has the power under existing laws to introduce restrictions on gambling advertising in the UK similar to those in the Republic. This would prevent our children from being bombarded with gambling related marketing during sports broadcasts and those already experiencing gambling harm from being targeted by gambling companies on social media.”