Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what his Department's policy is on limiting gambling advertising during televised sports events.

There are strict controls on the content of all gambling advertisements, including broadcast adverts. Gambling operators who advertise in the UK must comply with the advertising codes, which aim to ensure gambling advertising does not appeal particularly to children or young people or exploit vulnerable people.

We considered advertising as part of our Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility and our response set out a package of measures to strengthen protections further. These include strengthened guidance from the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) on protecting vulnerable people, tougher sanctions for operators who breach advertising codes and a multi-million pound safer gambling advertising campaign.

The Industry Group for Responsible Gambling has announced that it will extend its voluntary commitment not to advertise on TV before 9pm to include advertising during sporting events. Its industry-wide code for socially responsible advertising also requires all TV adverts to feature a responsible gambling message for the duration of the advert. These are welcome moves and we encourage all those who benefit from gambling advertising to think about how they can promote safer gambling