The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has rejected the request for a ban on gambling advertisement across the UK as removing advertisements would not help eradicate gambling in the country and may even increase the black market.
The BGC is responding to the calls from a consortium Local Health and Global Profits (LHGP) which had urged the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to implement advertising restrictions. The consortium has requested the introduction of stricter advertising regulations.
BGC spokesperson told:
Betting and gaming advertising in the UK is already subject to some of the strictest rules anywhere in the world, with BGC members going significantly further through additional voluntary measures designed to protect young people and vulnerable adults.
The Council has claimed that while online gambling license holders should adhere to strict age-based advertising practices, the members of the BGC spend no less than 20% of their advertisements to promote safety in gambling practices.
The BGC also claims that illegal bookmakers would have recorded as much as £800 million in illegal betting in the Premier League season and that in addition to that, the BGC thinks that the illegal advertising budget would outperform that of branded companies by 2028.
The spokesperson said:
Independent analysis shows advertising spend by licensed operators is falling, while the advertising footprint of the illegal gambling market continues to grow. A blanket ban on advertising by regulated operators would not make gambling disappear. It risks handing a significant competitive advantage to illegal operators who ignore advertising rules, offer none of the protections required in the regulated sector and increasingly use online platforms to target UK consumers.
The Council said that the efforts should rather focus on encouraging companies that are using licensed gambling advertisements.
