Asked by: Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to protect children from gambling advertisements online.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
All gambling operators who advertise in the UK must comply with advertising codes, which are enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) independently of Government. These codes apply across all advertising platforms, and include a wide range of provisions designed to protect children from harm. In addition to rules on content and audience, operators must ensure that gambling advertising is not targeted at children. Earlier this year the Department for Education announced new statutory guidance for relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education, which includes more in depth education about the risks of gambling related harms. We will continue to monitor this area closely and take action where there is evidence to do so.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 21 May (HL7312), when the Betting and Gaming Council will publish its report on advertising.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has provided the Government with their report on gambling advertising. It is for the BGC to decide whether to publish it. We have reviewed the report and are considering this alongside a range of other evidence to determine next steps in this area.
Asked by: Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount the gambling industry spends on advertisements each year.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
DCMS has not made its own estimate of the amount spent on gambling advertising. However, we monitor a wide range of evidence to aid our assessment of the impact of gambling advertising at a national level, including spend data provided by industry and independent sources.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce mandatory transparency requirements on gambling advertising spend and targeting strategies by licensed operators.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We currently have no plans to introduce mandatory transparency requirements on gambling advertising spend and targeting strategies by licensed operators.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of current regulatory protections, such as age verification and advertising restrictions, in preventing gambling among young people.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
All gambling operators in the UK must comply with robust advertising codes, which are enforced by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) independently of Government. These codes apply across all advertising platforms, including broadcast, online and social media. The codes are regularly reviewed and updated and include a wide range of provisions designed to protect children and vulnerable adults from harm. DCMS regularly engages with the ASA to discuss these changes and the impact of the regulations.
In addition, all operators in the UK are required to comply with the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice, which includes new provisions relating to direct marketing and socially responsible promotions and bonuses. The impact of these measures will be assessed in due course.
We are also working with colleagues across Government and other regulators to assess the effectiveness of age assurance tools on online platforms. We are considering a wide range of evidence to ensure children are best protected from gambling related harm.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of current regulatory frameworks governing gambling advertising across broadcast, online, and social media platforms.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
All gambling operators in the UK must comply with robust advertising codes, which are enforced by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) independently of Government. These codes apply across all advertising platforms, including broadcast, online and social media. The codes are regularly reviewed and updated and include a wide range of provisions designed to protect children and vulnerable adults from harm. DCMS regularly engages with the ASA to discuss these changes and the impact of the regulations.
In addition, all operators in the UK are required to comply with the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice, which includes new provisions relating to direct marketing and socially responsible promotions and bonuses. The impact of these measures will be assessed in due course.
We are also working with colleagues across Government and other regulators to assess the effectiveness of age assurance tools on online platforms. We are considering a wide range of evidence to ensure children are best protected from gambling related harm.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to require gambling operators and online platforms to provide greater transparency regarding how gambling advertisements are targeted and delivered to users.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The advertising codes that apply to all licensed gambling operators state that advertising must not be targeted at children or vulnerable people. The Government welcomes measures implemented by the Gambling Commission which have given customers greater control over the direct marketing they receive, and include further restrictions to make sure bonuses are constructed in a responsible way which does not encourage excessive or harmful gambling.
We will continue to explore whether more can be done to further raise standards in this area, particularly on online platforms.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of a) the risks associated with mainstream (i) entertainment brands and (ii) broadcasters distributing gambling (A) advertising and (B) sponsorship and b) the potential impact of this on (1) children and (2) vulnerable audiences.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is clear that wherever gambling advertising appears, it must be socially responsible. There are a number of robust codes in place to protect children and vulnerable adults from harm, enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) independently of Government. The ASA regularly reviews its codes and guidance to ensure they continue to protect children and vulnerable customers in an evolving advertising landscape. For example, the ASA recently strengthened its guidance on strong appeal to children, which focused on social media and the use of influencers.
Government recognises that more needs to be done, and we have now set the gambling industry a clear task to further raise standards to ensure that gambling advertising is appropriate, responsible, and does not exacerbate harm. The Government is committed to using the best available evidence on the impact of advertising from a wide range of sources when determining next steps in this space. We will continue to monitor the evidence base and will work with the Gambling Commission and ASA to ensure our advertising regulation regime is fit for purpose.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the Gambling Commission on the potential merits of signposting gambling support services within National Lottery (a) advertising and (b) products.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ministers and officials regularly engage with the Gambling Commission on a range of issues related to gambling regulation and player protection. This engagement includes ensuring the National Lottery operates in a socially responsible manner and that appropriate measures are in place to support those who may be experiencing gambling-related harm.
DCMS is also developing a new, evidence-based model for independently developed safer gambling messaging in partnership with the Department for Health and Social Care and Gambling Commission.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of (a) the UK’s international standing on regulation of gambling advertising and (b) what lessons the UK can learn from other countries on this subject.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to utilising the best available evidence to inform its gambling advertising policy. This includes regularly reviewing the impact of gambling advertising regulation in other jurisdictions and how it may or may not be appropriate for the UK, considering our existing regulatory framework and market structure.