MPs call for review of gambling advertising rules in the UK
The Health and Social Care Committee wants another review of the British Gambling Act, but by a different department.
UK.- The Health and Social Care Committee is urging the government to think again about regulations for gambling advertising in Britain. They argue that more needs to be done to address its societal impact.
The previous Conservative government’s 2023 Gambling White Paper made no major changes on gambling ads, holding off from proposing any intervention on sports sponsorship. But, in a letter to under-secretary of state for public health and prevention Ashley Dalton signed by committee chair Layla Moran, legislators call for a review of advertising, promotion and sponsorship, including possible restrictions on gambling ads before the watershed.
The MPs raise concerns about public exposure to gambling ads, including details raised at a hearing on April 2 and in a meeting with the campaign group Gambling With Lives on April 22. They cite the claim that “80 per cent of the UK population is exposed to some form of gambling on a weekly basis”.
“We were particularly concerned to hear how intrusive and targeted some gambling promotion has become, including accounts of people receiving offers of free bets in the middle of the night,” the letter reads. “Given this, it was unsurprising to hear that some individuals experiencing gambling-related harms say that it feels like ‘there is no escape’ from gambling.”
The letter also raises concerns about the “wide range of data that gambling companies are able to collect about their users’ online gambling activity” and the “asymmetry in access to this information and the gaps this could create in our understanding of the nature and extent of gambling harms.”
Gambling policy generally falls under the remit of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), whose future is currently in question amid plans for a government reorganisation. However, Dalton could play a role in so much as that gambling is seen as a public health issue, something that has been reinforced by the NHS being given responsibility for distributing funds from the new British gambling levy.
The committee suggests that the Office of Health Improvement and Disparity (OHID) should work with the DCMS and the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) to review how gambling advertising, promotions and sponsorship are regulated.
Meanwhile, it recommends that the department and the Gambling Commission work together to “mandate greater transparency in the data the gambling sector holds, including exploring the publication of anonymised or aggregate data, to support future research projects”.
It also urges the government to announce as soon as possible where responsibilities for commissioning treatment will lie following the reorganisation of NHS England, and to engage with the voluntary sector about how the new commissioner will work with the third sector.
It concludes: “We believe that the Government should review the Gambling Act to ensure that the current legislative framework gives all agencies the power and responsibilities needed to deliver a total system response.”
