The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has rejected a call by the UK House of Lords Liaison Committee for a comprehensive ban on gambling advertising, warning that such a move could weaken consumer protection.
Grainne Hurst, CEO of the BGC, described the committee’s report as “deeply misguided” and said Britain already had strict rules governing gambling advertising.
“This is a deeply misguided report which risks weakening, rather than strengthening, consumer protection,” Hurst said.
“Britain already has strict rules governing gambling advertising, specifically designed to protect children and vulnerable people. BGC members have gone further, introducing the whistle-to-whistle ban during live sport and additional restrictions on digital marketing.”
Hurst said the report’s treatment of the illegal gambling market was particularly concerning.
“Most concerning is the report’s willingness to dismiss the rapidly growing threat from the criminal gambling market simply because it does not fit its conclusions,” she said.
The BGC said the ability to advertise was one of the distinctions between licensed operators and illegal websites. Hurst said licensed businesses must comply with advertising rules, conduct age checks, offer self-exclusion and make safer gambling interventions, while also contributing through taxes and funding for treatment, prevention and British sport. “Illegal operators do none of those things,” she stressed.
Hurst also pointed to Italy and the Netherlands as examples of overseas markets where advertising restrictions have been introduced or tightened, leading to mixed results.
“There are important lessons from overseas which should not simply be ignored,” she said. “Italy introduced a near-total ban on gambling advertising years ago yet continues to face a substantial illegal market. In the Netherlands, where advertising restrictions have been significantly tightened, the gambling regulator has explicitly warned against a total advertising ban while reporting that only around half of gambling expenditure is currently taking place with licensed operators.”
The BGC said its position was not against strong advertising rules, but for regulation it described as proportionate and evidence-led.
“None of this is an argument against robust advertising rules. It is an argument for proportionate, evidence-led regulation which recognises the fundamental difference between businesses operating within one of the most tightly controlled sectors of the economy and illegal operators who ignore every rule,” Hurst said.
“A blanket advertising ban would remove a key competitive advantage of being licensed and regulated while doing nothing to stop illegal operators targeting British consumers. That risk deserves serious consideration, not dismissal.”