UK’s Labour Party pitches in for betting advertising ban during live events

A new policy of UK’s Labour Party proposes a total ban betting advertisement in television and the internet during live sporting events.  The policy also suggests a major overhaul of gambling laws.

The new policy, prepared by Labour deputy leader Tom Watson, advocates for a year-long review of problem gambling.

It states the “explosion” in online gambling was “unforeseen” by the 2005 Gambling Act, passed by the last Labour government, which liberated gambling laws.

As well as a ban on sport adverts, the report calls for a ban on credit card betting and a new tax on gambling firms of 1 per cent of revenues, used to fund treatment of addicts.

There would also be new rules to allow addicts to tell their banks to block debit card transactions, and a ban on free-to-play gambling games for under-18s.

Mr Watson said problem gambling was a “public health emergency.”

Premier League football clubs would be told to end sponsorship deals with gambling firms, with the threat of a ban.

Existing laws ban gambling adverts before the 9 pm watershed, but a loophole allows them before 9 pm when linked to a live sports event.

During the Moscow World Cup, one in six adverts around matches was from a gambling firm, analysis found.

Last night Labour faced accusations of hypocrisy, with critics pointing to the negative effects of the 2005 Gambling Act.

Tory MP Chris Skidmore said: ‘Labour liberalised the gambling market.

“We are correcting their mistakes.”

There are about 25,000 problem gamblers aged between 11 and 16 in the UK.

Source: DailyMail