UK Gambling Advertising Faces Growing Scrutiny

UK Gambling Advertising Faces Growing Scrutiny

Gambling has long been part of everyday life in the UK, regulated, taxed, and widely used across different age groups. What is changing, however, is how the public views the way gambling is presented. Advertising, rather than gambling itself, has become the point at which frustration, concern, and declining trust now converge. Recent polling suggests that this shift is no longer marginal and is beginning to shape the political debate around future regulation.

New research conducted by the think tank More in Common indicates that public patience with gambling promotion is wearing thin. The polling, commissioned by groups opposed to gambling advertising and published in the report Ending A Losing Streak, shows broad support for tighter controls on how gambling products are marketed. Seven in ten respondents said they favour stronger limits on advertising and sponsorship, while more than a quarter expressed support for a complete ban on gambling promotion.

The findings point to an important distinction in public attitudes. Opposition is not primarily directed at gambling as a legal activity, but at its constant visibility. Respondents across political affiliations and social backgrounds reported that gambling advertising has become difficult to avoid, appearing repeatedly on television, digital platforms, and within sports coverage. For many, this saturation has shifted advertising from background presence to a daily irritant.

Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, who wrote the foreword to the report, argued that the polling shows regulation of gambling promotion has moved beyond partisan politics. He suggested that stronger rules would be met with broad public support and framed the issue as a matter of long-term social responsibility, particularly for younger audiences. His intervention reflects a growing willingness among senior politicians to engage more directly with the advertising debate.

Concerns around children and young people emerged as a central theme. More than two-thirds of those surveyed said that under-18s should not be exposed to gambling advertising at all. Sports sponsorship, especially in football, attracted particular criticism. For many respondents, gambling logos on shirts and pitch-side displays blur the line between sport and promotion, creating an environment where gambling brands are normalised from an early age.

Beyond visibility, the research also reveals deeper unease about how gambling is overseen. Trust in regulatory institutions appears fragile. Only around a third of respondents said they have confidence in the Gambling Commission's ability to regulate the sector effectively, while roughly half reported little or no trust. Industry-funded harm-prevention organisations were also viewed with scepticism, with some respondents questioning whether bodies funded by operators can operate independently.

Public messaging campaigns did little to reassure participants. Slogans intended to promote safer play were often described as surface-level responses that place responsibility on individuals without addressing structural drivers of harm. For some respondents, these campaigns reinforced the perception that advertising and regulation are misaligned.

Campaign groups have seized on these findings to argue that advertising is the most visible symptom of a wider regulatory imbalance. Will Prochaska, director of the Campaign to End Gambling Advertising, said the research shows strong public appetite for reducing children's exposure to gambling content. He has urged the government to begin by removing gambling promotion from digital spaces commonly used by younger audiences, including social media and online games.

Parliamentary pressure is also building. Labour MP Beccy Cooper has argued that advertising rules no longer reflect how gambling is marketed in practice. She has pointed to the growth of social media promotion, personalised marketing, and influencer-led content as areas where existing regulations struggle to keep pace. In her view, children and young adults are now exposed to gambling promotion as a matter of course, rather than by accident.

Regulators have taken some steps to address gaps in the system. From 1 September 2025, changes to the Committee of Advertising Practice Code closed a loophole that allowed certain overseas operators to market to UK consumers under less restrictive conditions. Under the revised rules, all licensed operators, regardless of their base, must comply with the same advertising standards when targeting UK users through digital platforms.

Academic observers have described this move as necessary but limited. Dr Raffaello Rossi of the University of Bristol has characterised the amendment as an overdue correction rather than a fundamental shift. While recent reforms have addressed issues such as online slot stakes, funding for harm treatment, and gambling taxation, advertising has remained largely untouched by structural change.

The industry has relied heavily on voluntary measures. Since 2019, operators have followed a “whistle-to-whistle” code that limits advertising during daytime sports broadcasts and commits a share of marketing budgets to safer gambling messages. Despite this, overall marketing spend remains high, with estimates ranging from £1.15bn to £2bn per year. For critics, these figures raise questions about whether self-regulation can meaningfully reduce exposure.