Gambling ads soar 500%
Children exposed to millions more commercials for bookies since Blair relaxed the laws
THE number of gambling adverts seen by children has soared almost threefold to more than 1.4billion a year since Tony Blair relaxed laws covering their broadcast.
When Labour introduced legislation to allow widespread TV gaming commercials for the first time in 2005, children aged four to 15 watched 500million gambling adverts.
By 2013, this had soared to two billion, according to figures from a government consultation paper. It dropped to 1.4billion by 2016 but only because children were spending more time online, where they see more gambling adverts.
Those aged 16 to 24 saw a total of more than seven billion gaming commercials in 2016, according to the figures, which were based on information from broadcasters.
Separate figures from the TV regulator Ofcom show that overall the number of gambling adverts on TV soared by nearly 500 per cent between 2007 and 2012, from 234,000 to 1.39million.
Campaigners said the latest figures showed urgent government action was needed to protect children from the harm of exposure to the promotions.
Before the 2005 Gambling Act, which came into force in September 2007, the only TV adverincrease tising allowed for gambling was for football pools, bingo and the National Lottery. After deregulation, gaming companies could advertise freely after the 9pm watershed and before it during live sporting events.
The figures appeared in a gambling consultation paper published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which noted: ‘Many of the 145 public responses argued that there is too much gambling advertising on TV, citing the devastating effects of problem gambling and calling for advertising to be banned or heavily restricted because it promotes or “normalises” gambling.
‘This included, but was not limited to, concern about children seeing adverts during the day.’
Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones, director of the North West London NHS Foundation Trust’s National Problem Gambling Clinic, said: ‘The staggering in gambling adverts being viewed by children in this country since the legislation was passed to relax the laws in 2005 is a fact that these figures now illustrate beyond all doubt.
‘It is also an indication that strong and active protection of children from the harm of exposure to gambling adverts is needed immediately.
‘Left to its own decision-making, the gambling industry has not been able to protect the vulnerable and it is now up to us all – those who care about the future consequences of the 1.4billion adverts being seen by children in the UK every year – to do something about it.’
Marc Etches, of the charity GambleAware, said: ‘The amount of gambling advertising is hugely concerning and certainly much more needs to be done to raise awareness of the risks of gambling.
‘We don’t know what effect gambling advertising will have on our children, which is why we need to act now to avoid the situation getting out of hand.’
He added that 25,000 children aged 11 to 16 are problem gamblers, and that this ‘ought to serve as a loud wake-up call to everyone concerned’.
He said: ‘Gambling-related harm is a public health issue and we all have a role to play in helping to support those in need by encouraging them to visit BeGambleAware.org.’
From 2012 to 2016 there was a 46 per cent rise in spending on TV adverts by betting firms, taking the annual figure to £150million, according to the market research company Nielsen.
Problem gamblers cost taxpayers up to £1.2billion a year, because of the extra expenditure in welfare, housing and criminal justice they generate, according to a GambleAware report in December 2016.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which is carrying out a review of gambling, said: ‘The number of gambling adverts seen by children has been in decline since 2013.
‘Gambling advertising must be socially responsible and never target children.
‘Ofcom, the Advertising Standards Authority and Gambling Commission are able to take action against broadcasters and gambling operators if they fail in this duty through financial or regulatory penalties.’
Clive Hawkswood, from the Remote Gambling Association, which represents the online gaming industry, said: ‘This data and even more recent data form part of the evidence being considered by the Government as part of its current review.
‘We understand the trend for both children viewing adverts and gambling is a downward one. While we welcome that, more can be done and we will work with government to implement any evidence-based changes that flow from this review.’