Sky Sports to reduce gambling advertisements

British television conglomerate Sky Group has decided to cut the volume of gambling advertisement channels. It has drafted a new policy to allow only one such ad during any given commercial break. The new policy will be applicable for live football telecast in Sky Sports as well.

The new rule, which is intended to protect people with problem gambling behavior, will com into force only in August 2019 – about the time the next English Premier League season starts.

The advertisements of sports bookmakers, online casino and poker advertising will come under the new policy.

Sky Group is also developing new technology called AdSmart which will allow the viewers to block gambling ads when watching on both Sky and Virgin Media TV platforms. The new tool is expected to be ready by June 2020 across 140 channels, including Sky Sports.

Sky UK’s chief executive, Stephen van Rooyen, said the broadcaster “understood the concerns” of customers who were worried about the prevalence of gambling ads on TV – but argued the internet was a greater cause for concern.

“Thanks to regulation, TV has long been a safe space, and these changes will make it even safer,” he said. “But there is still a real danger online – and there will be until online platforms are regulated as tightly as TV.”

The move was hailed by Helen Undy, director of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, who said: “If you’re struggling with mental health problems, it can be very hard to manage your spending on gambling, and our supporters tell us that advertising plays a big part in compounding those difficulties.

“This is a really welcome step from Sky to empower customers who struggle with gambling by enabling them to opt out of gambling ads, and will no doubt be popular among other people too. It adds to the momentum across industries to tackle problem gambling.”

Source: CampaignUK