House of Lords Liaison Committee Recommends Comprehensive Ban on UK Gambling Advertising

A cross-party committee in the UK’s House of Lords has recommended a comprehensive ban on gambling advertising to address what it describes as a public health crisis driven by gambling-related harm.

The House of Lords Liaison Committee’s follow-up report, as reported by iGaming Business and published on 17 September, revisits its 2020 inquiry with a sharpened focus on advertising, marketing, and sponsorship. The committee concluded that robust evidence now supports meaningful steps to reduce exposure, especially for children and vulnerable groups.

Proposed Advertising and Marketing Restrictions

The report criticises the existing patchwork of self-regulation by the Advertising Standards Authority and industry voluntary measures as inadequate. It recommends placing advertising regulation on a statutory footing under the Gambling Commission to enable proactive enforcement and tighter controls on problematic channels.

Specific practices singled out include direct marketing via emails, texts, and push notifications, which randomised studies cited in the report link to increased betting and short-term harms. The committee advised banning such marketing except for essential account or safety communications. It also called for a prohibition on inducements such as free bets and sign-up bonuses that recruit new or lapsed customers. Content marketing and influencer promotions should be treated as advertising and prioritised for restriction.

Sports sponsorship drew particular attention. The committee noted that voluntary efforts, including the Premier League’s ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship this season, have not meaningfully reduced overall exposure across shirts, hoardings, logos, and related marketing. It rejected claims that advertising limits would drive consumers to illicit operators, citing interviews with European state monopoly representatives showing no such migration.

Evidence, Context, and Path Ahead

The committee pointed to the Gambling Commission’s Gambling Survey for Great Britain, which has indicated that between one and 1.5 million adults in Great Britain now score high enough on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) range to indicate problem gambling. According to the system used to rank players on the PGSI, a score of 8 or higher represents problem gambling while scoring between 3 and 7 suggests moderate risk. Annual advertising expenditure by licensed operators has grown to between £1 billion and £2 billion since the Gambling Act 2005 expanded advertising freedoms.

Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede, the committee chair, said: “The time was right to reassess this crucial policy area, focusing on the topic of gambling advertising where the former committee’s strong recommendations have been largely unaddressed and where substantial developments in the gambling advertising landscape since 2020 have demanded a re-evaluation of the policy options.”

The recommendations land amid the government’s 2023 white paper on gambling reform, which introduced a statutory levy, and a recent All-Party Parliamentary Group report labelling gambling advertising a public health issue. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has appointed a research fellow to examine innovations in online gambling advertising, but the committee warned that this work must not delay necessary policy action.

Where the Risk Lies for the Sector

If enacted, these measures would reshape customer acquisition and brand visibility for UK-licensed operators at a time when regulatory expectations continue to tighten. The government’s eventual stance will determine whether the committee’s recommendations translate into binding rules or remain advisory, setting the pace for compliance planning and potential shifts in operational cost structures across the industry.

Reporting: iGaming Business (iGB)

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