UK Gambling Act Under Review: Online Regulation and Advertising Concerns
With rising numbers of young people showing signs of addiction, this article examines how the UK and different nations are approaching gambling ad restrictions.
The 2005 Gambling Act, which regulated the gambling industry in the UK, is due to be reviewed as a result of technological changes since its creation. The review was announced in 2019 by the government to ensure that the Act is relevant to the digital age. In particular, the review will focus on how to regulate online casinos, poker, and virtual slot machines. A key issue that requires addressing is the current state of gambling advertising, which has transformed beyond recognition in the past 18 years. Research shows that gambling ads on social media, particularly Twitter, are particularly appealing to children and young people. There is concern that 30,000 young people aged 11 to 16 may suffer from harmful gambling habits, which can include financial, emotional and social difficulties. A recent study indicates a link between exposure to gambling ads and suffering from such harms for all age groups.
Other European countries have been tightening rules on gambling advertising, and the UK can learn from these regulatory approaches. Italy banned almost all gambling marketing at the start of 2019, including TV, radio, press, and internet gambling marketing. Belgium has banned the broadcasting of gambling adverts 15 minutes before or after children's programming, public posters for gambling, and direct advertising to named individuals in any form. The Netherlands has focused on restricting mass marketing on television, radio, internet search engines, and public spaces. In June 2021, Germany implemented a State Treaty on Gambling that included a ban on advertising to minors or at-risk groups and a prohibition on gambling adverts for licensed online casinos, poker, and virtual slot operators on radio, TV, and the internet between 6am and 9pm.
The UK is currently at the global forefront of gambling advertising deregulation, and campaigners have called for a full advertising and sponsorship ban similar to those implemented in Italy and Belgium. The UK gambling industry and its lobbying group, the Betting and Gaming Council, have argued that such measures would drive people into black market gambling, but there is no credible evidence for these claims. The industry has also argued that there is no evidence to link gambling advertising to gambling harms, which research has shown is not the case.