Should gambling advertising be restricted? What do campaigners, industry and regulators say?

Whether gambling advertising should be restricted is a live political argument, and the honest answer is that different groups say different things, with different evidence. This lesson sets out who argues what.

Start with what is already in place. Gambling advertising is the promotion of gambling by casinos, lotteries, bookmakers and similar organisations. It is not as highly regulated as tobacco and alcohol advertising, though many countries have strict laws on how it can be marketed. In Europe partial bans, such as on ads targeting children, are common, and several countries, including Poland and Moldova, have banned gambling ads altogether. Operators also sponsor sporting events, sportspeople and television coverage.

The UK is a much-discussed case. It limited television gambling ads to the National Lottery, bingo and football pools until a new Gambling Act relaxed the restrictions in 2007. By 2013, the regulator Ofcom reported that this had led to a seven-fold increase in the number of gambling ads aired on TV. The Committee of Advertising Practice has since announced rules aimed at protecting children under 18.

Campaigners and the industry disagree. The Coalition against Gambling Ads, a UK network, makes three arguments: gambling advertising is harmful, regulations on it don't work, and it is ubiquitous. The Betting and Gaming Council, the industry's main UK lobby group, says its aim is to promote the industry and ensure an enjoyable, fair and safe experience for customers, and it has run a "Take Time to Think" safer-gambling campaign. The two sides also dispute the evidence. A randomised experiment found no statistically credible effects from the industry's earlier message, and a peer accused the council of inaccurate statements.