UK Research Consortium Calls for Total Ban on All Gambling Advertising and Sponsorship

A leading UK gambling research group has called on the government to impose a complete ban on all gambling advertising across every channel, expanding well beyond the current proposal limited to unlicensed sports sponsorship.

The Local Health and Global Profits (LHGP) consortium, based at the University of Bath, submitted its response to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) consultation before the deadline on September 9. The £9m programme, funded by UK Research and Innovation, described the DCMS plan as a necessary step but insisted broader action is required to reduce gambling-related harm.

Evidence of Harm and Marketing Shifts

The LHGP consortium pointed to research showing that sustained exposure to gambling advertising correlates with higher participation rates and elevated gambling-related harms, including increased suicide rates among vulnerable individuals and younger audiences. It highlighted the “balloon effect,” in which companies redirect marketing budgets into unrestricted areas when one channel faces limits.

The group specifically warned against leaving digital platforms untouched. “Digitalisation has transformed gambling marketing, allowing companies to use data-driven targeting, algorithms and ‘nudge’ tactics that are barely touched by current policy and that give operators disproportionate power to drive habitual gambling,” the consortium stated.

LHGP recommended that any restrictions cover both licensed and unlicensed operators and apply to online and digital advertising in addition to physical sponsorship. It called for a fixed implementation date before the 2027/28 football season. The group cited data showing over 27,000 gambling messages during the opening weekend of the English Premier League, with more than 5,000 appearing in a single match. This represented around a third of live broadcast content containing at least one gambling advert.

Dr Nason Maani, Deputy Director of LHGP, said: “The gambling industry, like other health-harming industries before it, has a well-documented history of using delay and lobbying tactics to weaken or block regulation that threatens its commercial interests. Government must ensure the timeline for introducing this ban is not diluted or delayed by industry pressure.”

Practicality, Enforcement and Next Steps

The licensed sector has backed the narrower proposal to bar unlicensed sponsorship, with the Betting and Gaming Council pressing for rapid rollout. Entain urged voluntary withdrawal from football deals, yet arrangements continue, including Everton’s sleeve sponsorship with Stake and Sunderland AFC’s agreement with Shuffle, a cryptocurrency casino without a UK licence.

According to reporting by Focus Gaming News, the wider ban proposal will prompt debate over practicality and enforcement. Regulators across jurisdictions have pursued tighter controls on unlicensed online advertising, yet effective monitoring typically depends on cooperation from major technology platforms.

The government must now weigh these submissions and determine whether partial restrictions will suffice or whether the evidenced harms justify comprehensive limits with clear timelines.

Reporting: Focus Gaming News

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