UK government reviewing gambling advertising code
DCMS in discussions with Ofcom and ASA over "adequacy" of current code as Gambling Bill passes to the House of Lords
Sports minister Helen Grant yesterday revealed the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is in discussions with a number of bodies to ensure current advertising codes were robust enough to protect children from gambling advertisements.
Last week, Ofcom released a report which showed the volume of gambling adverts on television had increased six-fold since advertising laws were relaxed in 2007. A total of 1.4m gambling ads were screened during 2012 representing 4.1% of all adverts shown.
Ahead of the report, Grant and DCMS secretary of state Maria Miller attended meetings with Ofcom, the Gambling Commission and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to discuss the growing prevalence of gambling ads and whether there was a greater risk of exposure to children.
Despite the increase, Grant said she was satisfied current measures were proving to be an effective tool in limiting exposure to children due to the majority of adverts being shown after the 9pm watershed but will continue to examine the situation.
Grant was speaking during the third reading of the Gambling Act and in response to a clause moved by shadow sports minister Clive Efford, which called for a consultation on gambling advertising before the watershed.
Current rules state that gambling advertisements should not be targeting toward those under 18 years of age while TV ads are also prohibited from being screened before 9pm – with the exception of sports betting products advertised around sports events and bingo ads.
“I can assure honorable members that the government takes the issue very seriously indeed and are already working to assess the adequacy of the current arrangements,” Grant told the Commons.
“For this reason, there is no need to accept new clause nine, but I will ensure that Parliament is kept informed of our assessment of the impact of gambling advertising and, should I uncover evidence in the course of this work that suggests that advertising codes no longer provide effective protections, I will not hesitate to act,” she added.
The debate came as the Gambling Bill continued its passage through Parliament where it will now pass to the House of Lords for consideration before being given Royal Assent which is expected in January 2014.
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