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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to prevent children from being targeted with online gambling advertisements during the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) advertising codes require all gambling operators to take all reasonable steps to ensure that children are not targeted by gambling advertisements. This includes a requirement for all operators to ensure that targeting is used responsibly, through utilising tools available on platforms to exclude under-18s from exposure wherever possible.

In 2025 the ASA strengthened its guidance to ensure that personalities or influencers with social media followings totalling at least 100,000 under-18s, across all platforms, are unable to advertise gambling.

The Government continues to work with a wide range of stakeholders to increase protections online. This includes ongoing work to tackle the illegal market.