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

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many complaints they have received regarding gambling advertising in each year between 2010 and 2018.

Consumer complaints about gambling advertising are generally directed to and dealt with by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) or Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), rather than central government.

The ASA received 10,165 complaints about gambling advertising between 2010 and 2018:

Data provided by the ICO shows there were 10,270 complaints between 2014, when gambling was introduced as a complaint category, and 2018. The Gambling Commission is not the lead regulatory authority, but its contact centre does deal with some consumer complaints. It received 1,104 complaints about gambling advertising and marketing between 2014, when advertising became part of its remit, and 2018.

Neither government nor the Gambling Commision holds data on the number of marketing affiliates operating in the UK. Gambling operators providing services to customers in Great Britain must be licensed by the Commission and are responsible for the actions of third parties, including marketing affiliates. If an affiliate breaches licence conditions and codes of practice (LCCP) the operator will be held accountable.