Pressures Against Gaming Ads in the UK Grow Stronger

The UK has experienced quite a few gaming reforms in recent years, but industry critics believe that the changes have failed to address one of the biggest problems – ads. According to The Guardian, the pressures to restrict gambling ads continue to grow stronger.

The UK Gaming Sector Has Been Experiencing Changes

For context, gambling ads have become increasingly prevalent in the UK, reflecting the strength, size, and growth of the local gaming sector.

Although recent reforms have introduced new player safety measures, such as lower bet limits and a statutory levy to fund problem gambling research, education, and treatment initiatives, rules on ads have remained mostly the same.

Previous efforts saw Premier League clubs agree to stop featuring gambling companies’ logos on the fronts of players’ jerseys. However, critics slammed this as a mostly superficial measure that disregards the fact that the most visible ads appear across on-stadium signage.

Operators, on the other hand, have agreed on a whistle-to-whistle code under which they committed to not airing ads during sporting broadcasts aired before 9 pm.

Almost 3 in 4 Brits Support Stricter Restrictions on Gaming Ads

The Guardian highlighted the results of new polling, which suggest that the public is largely in favor of restricting gambling ads. The survey was commissioned by the Campaign to End Gambling Advertising and conducted by More in Common.

The results suggest that a staggering 70% of all Brits agree that gambling ads should face stricter restrictions. Of everyone polled, 27% asserted that gambling ads as a whole should be prohibited. Additionally, 65% of respondents said that the gambling industry should be subject to a tougher regulatory regime.

In a foreword to the report, Iain Duncan Smith emphasized that tougher regulation of gambling ads is an idea that has “strong support from voters across the political spectrum.” He added that this would be paramount to shielding the next generation of UK citizens.

Will Prochaska, the director of the Campaign to End Gambling Advertising, echoed Smith’s sentiments, saying that the results of the latest survey show the public’s “strong appetite to protect children from gambling ads.”

British Gaming Under Fire

The recent regulatory and tax changes in the UK have already put a strain on the industry, prompting fierce opposition against additional regulatory burdens. The Betting & Gaming Council asserted that a restrictive gaming policy doesn’t benefit the British public and is instead a gift to the black market, which has to compete with a weaker legal sector.

The BGC further stated that the current gaming ads comply with strict guidelines, promote safer gaming, and encourage the use of safer gambling tools. The council also refuted claims that UK operators are spending over a billion pounds on advertising, saying that the actual figure is much lower.

Interestingly, the survey cited by The Guardian suggests that the majority of polled individuals are indifferent to the gambling sector’s woes, with almost half of polled Brits saying that they would like the UK gaming sector to be scaled down.