UK House of Lords Members Call for a Wide-Scale Ban on Gambling Ads

Members of the United Kingdom’s House of Lords are calling for a full-scale ban on gambling advertising across the UK, following a report by the House of Lords Liaison Committee which criticized the government for being “too passive” in responding to the rapid expansion of digital advertising of gambling. UK Lords Call for a Ban on Gambling Advertising The committee concluded that a blanket, tobacco-style ban on gambling advertising (with exemptions for the lottery and racecourses) would be the “most effective” way to reduce harms including financial hardship, relationship breakdown and, in some cases, suicide. The report acknowledged that such a ban would likely lead to a contraction of the UK gambling sector. The UK’s gambling sector has already felt the hit from the tax hike on gambling that the government imposed a few months ago, so the ban on gambling might once again negatively affect the industry. However, the report argued that the policy could deliver longer-term economic benefits by redirecting money currently spent on gambling towards other areas of the economy. Gambling advertising in the UK was liberalised under the 2005 Gambling Act, introduced by Tony Blair’s government. Since then, the volume of gambling advertising has surged, with industry spending estimated to have reached GBP 2 billion (about $2.68 billion) in 2024. Lord Foster of Bath is one of the most prominent supporters of the ban. He wants gambling advertising to be restricted on the basis that gambling itself should be tolerated but not stimulated. Lord Foster also highlighted the fact that up to a million and a half people in Britain experience problem gambling. He claimed that a ban on most gambling advertising would reduce gambling and therefore the problem. The Committee also acknowledged the illegal gambling scene and the negative effects it has on people, but still argued that this fact shouldn’t prevent licensed operators from facing further restrictions. What Are the Reasons Against Banning Gambling Ads? The Betting & Gaming Council (BGC) came up with a stance that exactly opposes the Committee’s claims. BGC dismissed the report as “deeply misguided” by the industry’s lobby group and argued that such a policy could increase harm by benefiting the illegal market, which would remain free to advertise. BGC CEO Grainne Hurst explained that the UK already has strict advertising laws in relation to gambling that are designed to protect young people. The industry has also been encouraged to put forward initiatives such as the whistle-to-whistle advertising ban during live sports broadcasts. Meanwhile, Dan Waugh of Regulus Partners criticized data related to the participation in gambling by people under 18. He challenged a 2025 Gambling Commission report on young people and gambling. According to it, 30% of those interviewed reported spending their own money on gambling in the previous 12 months. However, the most prominent form of gambling in these cases tended to be legal practices such as arcade gaming machines or betting for money amongst family and friends. Waugh claimed that, considering age-restricted activities, participation of young people is “extraordinarily low.” Waugh also claimed that the report has often conflicting evidence from different interest groups. In an interview for NEXT.io, Waugh explained that cases like this demonstrate the complexity of the subject matter and the problems, which, according to him, the Committee was unable to resolve. In other news from the UK, an illegal online casino is posing as Tesco, one of the biggest supermarket chains in the country.