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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to prevent gambling operators from using content marketing to reach children and young people.

The Government is committed to prioritising protections for children and young people.

Operators must comply with the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) when advertising online, including when utilising content marketing. This Code is enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) who are independent of Government, and contains a number of rules to ensure that adverts are not of strong appeal to under-18s, and are not targeted at children and young people.

The ASA has power to take action when advertising is in breach of the Code, and can also refer operators to the Gambling Commission for possible regulatory action. ASA ruling outcomes are published online.