UK’s Gambling Related Harm APPG Criticises Gambling Firms over Ads

The members of the UK’s Gambling Related Harm All Party Parliamentary Group (GRH APPG) have accused gambling firms of breaching the spirit of a pledge to remove television and radio ads during the lockdown.

They said some social messages broadcast to replace ads were “thinly veiled” commercials and have urged the government to intervene.

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) announced last month that its members would remove television and radio advertising by May 7 at the latest. The pledge was to last for the remainder of the UK’s Covid-19 lockdown.

In the case of advertising slots that had already been bought, members agreed to replace the planned adverts with safe gambling messages. But members of GRH APPG claim that such social messages are “thinly veiled” ads.

“These are clearly just forms of advertising under the thinly veiled guise of a social responsibility message,” GRH APPG said.

The 50 members of the group have written again to the UK’s Minister for Culture Nigel Huddleston to urge the government to take action.

The group also criticised companies for publishing the adverts under the names of casino divisions rather than under the parent company names.

“The multiple adverts across all commercial TV channels on Saturday shows that the much trumpeted gambling advertising ban is just hypocritical PR and the gambling industry is incapable of self-regulation,” Charles Ritchie of Gambling with Lives, said.

The BGC has argued that if critics are genuinely concerned they should call on non-BGC members such as the National Lottery to follow its lead.