House of Lords Calls for UK Gambling Advertising Ban

The UK government faces calls to introduce a comprehensive ban on gambling advertising after a House of Lords committee concluded that existing restrictions have failed to keep pace with the market.

The House of Lords Liaison Committee said a ban represented the “most effective policy option” for reducing gambling harm. It also noted that there were “clear indications of public concern at the volume of gambling advertising.”

Its September 17 report marked a significant hardening of the position taken by a previous Lords committee in 2020. That inquiry stopped short of recommending an outright advertising ban.

The new report estimated that between 1 million and 1.5 million adults in Great Britain experienced problem gambling. It also argued that digital advertising and other forms of promotion had outpaced the existing regulatory framework.

Lord Foster of Bath, the acting former chair of the committee, said a ban would reduce gambling participation and therefore gambling-related harm.

“We are clear that this would shrink, rather than grow, the gambling sector and that this would make a positive difference to millions of people across the country,” Foster said.

BGC Warns Advertising Ban Could Strengthen Black Market

The committee also directly addressed the gambling industry’s argument that tighter advertising controls would drive players toward unlicensed operators.

But it said it was “unconvinced” that restrictions on advertising by licensed operators would lead to significant displacement to the illegal market.

That conclusion drew a sharp response from Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) CEO Grainne Hurst, who called the report “deeply misguided.”

“Most concerning is the report’s willingness to dismiss the rapidly growing threat from the criminal gambling market simply because it does not fit its conclusions,” Hurst said.

She argued that advertising was an important distinction between licensed gambling companies and illegal websites. Hurst also pointed to Italy and the Netherlands, where restrictions on advertising have increased alongside concerns over unlicensed gambling.

“A blanket advertising ban would remove a key competitive advantage of being licensed and regulated while doing nothing to stop illegal operators targeting British consumers,” she added.

Last month, the BGC warned that the UK black market in Premier League betting alone was on course to hit £1 billion ($1.36 billion) per year.

Hurst did note that the industry was not opposed to tougher standards where evidence supported them.

“None of this is an argument against robust advertising rules. It is an argument for proportionate, evidence-led regulation which recognizes the fundamental difference between businesses operating within one of the most tightly controlled sectors of the economy and illegal operators who ignore every rule,” she said.