UK Parliament Reviews Gambling Ads And Child Exposure

UK MP’s held a Westminster debate on gambling advertising after an APPG report called for tougher controls on marketing, sports sponsorship, and content aimed at younger audiences.

Good to Know

• The APPG report backed a pre 9pm ban on gambling adverts.
• MP’s raised concern over children seeing betting ads on TV and online.
• Ministers said any changes must avoid driving players toward illegal operators.

MPs Clash Over Gambling Ad Limits

Labour MP’s Alex Ballinger and Dr Beccy Cooper framed gambling advertising as a public health concern, arguing that constant exposure can increase betting and make recovery harder for people with gambling harm.

Ballinger cited figures showing gambling firms spend about £2 billion a year on marketing. He also referenced Gambling Commission data showing 79% of children have seen gambling adverts.

Dr Cooper compared gambling promotion with tobacco, alcohol, and junk food advertising, saying:

“Gambling is an addictive product. That is an incontrovertible health fact.”

Not all MP’s backed tighter rules without caution. Conservative MP Charlie Dewhirst warned that heavy limits could damage sport and broadcasting income while giving unlicensed overseas operators more room to grow.

He said illegal operators could overtake regulated UK firms in ad spend by 2028.

Sports sponsorship also came up, with MP’s noting the Premier League front of shirt gambling sponsor ban from the 2026 to 2027 season. Clubs could lose up to £80 million from that change.

Ministers agreed to keep reviewing the APPG recommendations. They also pointed to a cross government illegal gambling taskforce, £26 million in extra Gambling Commission enforcement funding, and a consultation on sports sponsorship by unlicensed operators.