Church backs television gambling advert ban
THE Church of England has backed a ban on gambling adverts during all sporting events.
From an hour before to an hour after all live broadcasts, bookmakers would be prohibited from appearing on TV screens, in a proposal that a powerful all-party coalition of political and church leaders will present today.
Lord Chadlington, a leading Tory peer and donor, has forged an alliance with Labour, Lib Dems, the SNP and the Church of England to demand that ministers close a loophole that allows gambling firms to target viewers on television and online with “live odds” bets on matches that can be watched by children.
He will propose that the Government adopt the Australian model, where gambling ads are banned not only during live sporting events but also for an hour before and an hour after to stamp out “highly addictive” in-match betting. He argues this should be a first step towards an outright ban on the ads at least up to the evening watershed.
The Rt Rev Alan Smith, the Bishop of St Alban’s and Church of England’s lead on gambling, told The Daily Telegraph: “The firms have singularly failed to exercise any sort of restraint.”
Lord Chadlington has commissioned a Populus poll of 2,000 people which shows 58 per cent of the public support a blanket ban on gambling adverts on all UK channels and platforms. Only 14
per cent oppose it. Writing in Parliament’s The House magazine today, he said the 2018 World Cup was a turning point, with viewers blitzed with the equivalent of a full 90 minutes of betting ads, part of a 63 per cent increase in advertising spending by the firms in five years to an annual £312million.
Campaigners are alarmed by liveodds bets that give players the impression that they have only a short period to take advantage of them; and complex bets such as “England to win 3-0, have 11 corners and Harry Kane to score”, which have odds that academics claim misrepresent the real chances of winning.
Royal College psychiatrists say such live-odds advertisements encourage spur-of-the-moment betting and fuel addiction. It is estimated that two million gamblers are at risk, with a further 430,000 problem gamblers already being treated.
“It is scandalous that since the 2005 Gambling Act, successive governments have been so slow to recognise that the UK is on the lip of a gambling epidemic,” said Lord Chadlington, who is a close ally of David Cameron, brother of ex-tory chairman John Gummer and a multi-millionaire businessman.
He said he wanted to go further than a proposal by Labour’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, that only banned advertisements during events.
The Liberal Democrat leader, Vince Cable, said: “I am totally supportive of closing this loophole that can cause serious harm.
“This is clearly a sensible move to tackle addictive gambling.”
Lord Chadlington also wants a review to ban gambling in video games such as Fortnite, where young players can win virtual weapons for their game characters.
The Culture Department said it had taken “decisive” action to protect the vulnerable, including tougher rules on betting adverts.