UK Peers Call for Tobacco-Style Ban on Gambling Advertising

House of Lords Committee Calls for Stronger Advertising Restrictions

A cross-party group of peers has called on the UK government to introduce a near-total ban on gambling advertising, arguing that stronger measures are needed to address public health concerns linked to gambling.

In a 173-page report, the House of Lords Liaison Committee said the government had been “too passive” in responding to the rapid expansion of digital gambling advertising and the use of social media influencers to promote betting and gaming products.

According to official statistics cited in the report, bookmakers, casinos and slot machine venues generated £12.6 billion from customers in Great Britain last year. Separate research has estimated that up to 1.4 million people in the country experience gambling problems.

Report Proposes Tobacco-Style Advertising Ban

The committee said a blanket ban modeled on restrictions imposed on tobacco advertising would be the most effective approach to reducing gambling-related harms. The proposal would include exemptions for activities such as the National Lottery and racecourses.

The report links gambling-related harm with issues including financial difficulties, relationship breakdown and suicide.

The committee also acknowledged that a comprehensive advertising ban could lead to a contraction of the UK's regulated gambling sector. However, it argued that money currently spent on gambling could eventually be redirected toward other areas of the economy.

Betting Industry Rejects Proposal

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the gambling industry's trade body, described the recommendations as “deeply misguided”.

The organization argued that a blanket advertising ban could have unintended consequences by strengthening the position of unlicensed operators, which would remain outside the UK's regulatory framework and could continue targeting British consumers.

Lord Foster, one of the report's authors, acknowledged concerns about the illicit market but said they should not prevent action against harms associated with the legal gambling industry.

“That should not deflect us from the need to address the harm that is being created by the legal market,” he said, pointing to what he described as extensive evidence linking gambling advertising with gambling-related harm.

Gambling Advertising Expanded After 2005 Reform

Gambling advertising in the UK was significantly liberalized following the 2005 Gambling Act, introduced under Tony Blair's government. The legislation sought to establish a regulatory framework while allowing gambling to develop as a legitimate leisure activity and economic sector.

Before the legislation came into force, television advertising was largely restricted to bingo, football pools and lotteries, including the National Lottery.

Since then, gambling advertising expenditure has increased substantially. Industry spending was estimated at around £2 billion in 2024.

Political Pressure for Greater Local Controls

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has also been a prominent critic of the gambling industry's presence on British high streets and in sport.

Burnham recently supported proposals to give local councils greater powers to oppose new betting shops and so-called “slot farms”. He has also called for gambling sponsorship in sport to eventually be removed.

Meanwhile, the BGC has highlighted voluntary measures introduced by licensed operators, including the “whistle to whistle” agreement under which participating companies do not broadcast gambling advertisements during live televised sporting events.

Industry Warns of Growth in Illegal Gambling

The BGC has also claimed that a significant proportion of gambling advertising spending now comes from the illicit market, which does not operate under the same restrictions as licensed operators.

Grainne Hurst, chief executive of the BGC, said: “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.”

The debate is therefore likely to focus on how the UK can address gambling-related harm while maintaining controls over a regulated industry and limiting the reach of unlicensed operators.