UK: Bristol City Council bans all gambling adverts

The city in the South West of England has banned all gambling advertisements in “the most complete policy of its kind”.

UK.- Bristol City Council has included a prohibition of all gambling adverts in an update to its advertising and sponsorship policy.

The city will also introduce restrictions on advertising alcohol, payday loans and foods with high sugar and fat content.

The ban covers council-owned property including social media channels, screens at venues such as museums and libraries, customer service points, 17 advertising hoardings and 180 bus shelters.

Local media outlets including BristolLive report that the move could cost the city up to £150,000 in lost revenue.

The city council said it believed its policy was “the most complete of its kind in England”.

Councillor Asher Craig, Bristol’s deputy mayor, said: “We take the health of our residents seriously and have been working with our local public health experts for some time to find ways to support the health of our citizens.

“One of the ways we intend to do this is to restrict the most harmful types of advertising from city centre banners, digital screens and bus stop adverts.

“By putting people’s health first, we have made Bristol’s policy one of the strongest in the country, leading by example and showing willingness to take a potential hit on our income in order to support people’s health and wellbeing.”

Bristol City Council has also banned all advertising in its parks and green spaces “unless for an outlet or event operating within that space”.

The future of gambling advertising is currently a subject of intense debate in the UK. Last week, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling-Related Harm (APPG) wrote to television channels calling for them to stop gambling sponsorship of daytime television.

Over the Irish Sea, the Labour Party, Gaelic Players Association (GPA) and the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) have called for a ban on gambling advertising during sporting events.