Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps she has taken to help protect people impacted by problem gambling.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises that harmful gambling can wreck the lives of individuals, families and communities. Working with the Gambling Commission, we are committed to strengthening protections for those at risk through a range of new safer gambling requirements.
The Government has introduced a statutory levy on licensed gambling operators to raise increased, independent and sustainable funding for research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harm. The levy will raise around £100 million in funding to deliver priority projects and services, which together we hope will reduce gambling-related harms across Great Britain. The statutory gambling levy is now in force, and funding will start flowing later this year.
There are a range of robust rules in place through the Advertising Codes enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to ensure that gambling advertising and marketing, wherever it appears, is socially responsible and does not exacerbate harm. The ASA continually reviews the best available evidence to ensure rules are effective and updates protections as required. However, the Government recognises that more is needed, and we have set the gambling industry a clear task to further raise standards. In addition, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department of Health and Social Care and the Gambling Commission are jointly leading a programme of work to develop new safety messaging for use in advertising and at the point of play.
We have introduced new statutory stake limits for online slots, set at £2 per spin for 18-24 year olds, and £5 per spin for adults aged 25 and over. We are also working with the Gambling Commission to deliver a significant programme of reform, including additional measures relating to safer game design for all casino games, financial vulnerability checks, improved access to safer gambling tools and improved customer choice on direct marketing.
We will continue to consider the best available evidence and work with all stakeholders to ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk.
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 steps her Department is taking to ensure that gambling (a) advertisements and (b) products are not directed at (i) children and (ii) young people.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
To improve and expand the services available to understand, tackle and treat gambling-related harm, the Government has introduced a statutory levy on gambling operators to fund research, prevention and treatment. This includes dedicated investment for prevention to raise awareness of the risks associated with gambling and facilitating a cultural shift to break down barriers to help-seeking behaviour such as stigma. Thirty percent of funding will be allocated to prevention activity, including education and early intervention, to help raise awareness of harmful gambling.
There are existing robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible, with a particular regard to the need to protect children, young persons and other vulnerable persons. Adverts cannot be targeted towards children, feature those under 25 or those who are perceived as being under 25, and top-flight footballers and celebrities popular with children are also banned from adverts to ensure they do not have inappropriate appeal. The IGRG Code includes specific requirements for operators to include ‘GambleAware’ or ‘www.gambleaware.org’ in their advertisements.
However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely. Additionally, there is ongoing work with DHSC and the Gambling Commission to develop a new, evidence-based model for independently developed messages to increase awareness of gambling harms, replacing industry ownership of safer gambling messaging.
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 steps she is taking to ensure that gambling (a) advertisements and (b) websites provide reference to gambling addiction support platforms.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
To improve and expand the services available to understand, tackle and treat gambling-related harm, the Government has introduced a statutory levy on gambling operators to fund research, prevention and treatment. This includes dedicated investment for prevention to raise awareness of the risks associated with gambling and facilitating a cultural shift to break down barriers to help-seeking behaviour such as stigma. Thirty percent of funding will be allocated to prevention activity, including education and early intervention, to help raise awareness of harmful gambling.
There are existing robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible, with a particular regard to the need to protect children, young persons and other vulnerable persons. Adverts cannot be targeted towards children, feature those under 25 or those who are perceived as being under 25, and top-flight footballers and celebrities popular with children are also banned from adverts to ensure they do not have inappropriate appeal. The IGRG Code includes specific requirements for operators to include ‘GambleAware’ or ‘www.gambleaware.org’ in their advertisements.
However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely. Additionally, there is ongoing work with DHSC and the Gambling Commission to develop a new, evidence-based model for independently developed messages to increase awareness of gambling harms, replacing industry ownership of safer gambling messaging.
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 progress she has made on reducing exposure to gambling advertisements by (a) children and (b) young people.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
To improve and expand the services available to understand, tackle and treat gambling-related harm, the Government has introduced a statutory levy on gambling operators to fund research, prevention and treatment. This includes dedicated investment for prevention to raise awareness of the risks associated with gambling and facilitating a cultural shift to break down barriers to help-seeking behaviour such as stigma. Thirty percent of funding will be allocated to prevention activity, including education and early intervention, to help raise awareness of harmful gambling.
There are existing robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible, with a particular regard to the need to protect children, young persons and other vulnerable persons. Adverts cannot be targeted towards children, feature those under 25 or those who are perceived as being under 25, and top-flight footballers and celebrities popular with children are also banned from adverts to ensure they do not have inappropriate appeal. The IGRG Code includes specific requirements for operators to include ‘GambleAware’ or ‘www.gambleaware.org’ in their advertisements.
However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely. Additionally, there is ongoing work with DHSC and the Gambling Commission to develop a new, evidence-based model for independently developed messages to increase awareness of gambling harms, replacing industry ownership of safer gambling messaging.
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 steps she is taking to help reduce the stigmatisation by gambling websites of people with gambling harms.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
To improve and expand the services available to understand, tackle and treat gambling-related harm, the Government has introduced a statutory levy on gambling operators to fund research, prevention and treatment. This includes dedicated investment for prevention to raise awareness of the risks associated with gambling and facilitating a cultural shift to break down barriers to help-seeking behaviour such as stigma. Thirty percent of funding will be allocated to prevention activity, including education and early intervention, to help raise awareness of harmful gambling.
There are existing robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible, with a particular regard to the need to protect children, young persons and other vulnerable persons. Adverts cannot be targeted towards children, feature those under 25 or those who are perceived as being under 25, and top-flight footballers and celebrities popular with children are also banned from adverts to ensure they do not have inappropriate appeal. The IGRG Code includes specific requirements for operators to include ‘GambleAware’ or ‘www.gambleaware.org’ in their advertisements.
However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely. Additionally, there is ongoing work with DHSC and the Gambling Commission to develop a new, evidence-based model for independently developed messages to increase awareness of gambling harms, replacing industry ownership of safer gambling messaging.
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 what discussions they have had with the Advertising Standards Authority and the Gambling Commission about Premier League football clubs that are sponsored by unlicensed gambling businesses.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Minister for Gambling and Heritage met with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in December 2024. However, sponsorship of this kind is not within the remit of the ASA, whose CAP Code includes a specific exclusion for ‘sponsorship’.
However, we regularly engage with the Gambling Commission on this issue. The Commission has been clear that sports organisations must diligently and continuously ensure that they are not advertising illegal gambling. Under current rules, sports organisations who engage in sponsoring and advertising arrangements with unlicensed gambling operators are at serious risk of committing the offence of advertising unlawful gambling under Section 330 of the Gambling Act 2005. The Commission has warned relevant club officials that they may be liable to prosecution and, if convicted, face a fine, imprisonment or both if they promote unlicensed gambling businesses that transact with consumers in Great Britain. The Commission is taking active steps to monitor online gambling activity for these unlicensed brands and to ensure they are blocked and inaccessible to consumers in Great Britain, and will take steps as necessary.
Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of gambling adverts on people living in Bolton North East constituency.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Gambling adverts can appear across a significant range of channels from out of home billboards and social media, to complex dynamic or targeted adverts online. As such, the Department does not hold data on the number of gambling adverts published.
This government recognises that while advertising is a legitimate advantage which licensed operators have over unlicensed gambling firms, increased exposure to gambling advertising can have an impact on gambling participation. There are existing robust rules and regulations in place to ensure that advertising and marketing, whenever it appears, is socially responsible.
However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely.
Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
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 potential impact of the number of gambling adverts on people living in Bolton North East constituency.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Gambling adverts can appear across a significant range of channels from out of home billboards and social media, to complex dynamic or targeted adverts online. As such, the Department does not hold data on the number of gambling adverts published.
This government recognises that while advertising is a legitimate advantage which licensed operators have over unlicensed gambling firms, increased exposure to gambling advertising can have an impact on gambling participation. There are existing robust rules and regulations in place to ensure that advertising and marketing, whenever it appears, is socially responsible.
However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely.
Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many gambling adverts were published in each year from 2019 to 2025.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Gambling adverts can appear across a significant range of channels from out of home billboards and social media, to complex dynamic or targeted adverts online. As such, the Department does not hold data on the number of gambling adverts published.
This government recognises that while advertising is a legitimate advantage which licensed operators have over unlicensed gambling firms, increased exposure to gambling advertising can have an impact on gambling participation. There are existing robust rules and regulations in place to ensure that advertising and marketing, whenever it appears, is socially responsible.
However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely.
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), what sources of evidence they are consulting to gain a comprehensive and impartial understanding of the impacts of gambling advertising.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to consulting the best available evidence on the impact of advertising from a wide range of sources when assessing best next steps in this space. Additionally, developing quality evidence is a key priority for the statutory levy, and up to 20% of funding will be directed towards high-quality, independent research to fill gaps in the evidence base, including on the impacts of gambling advertising. We will continue to monitor developments in the evidence and take action where appropriate.
The Government currently has no plans to conduct an independent review on the impacts of gambling advertising. As part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Review of the Gambling Act 2005, an extensive call for evidence was conducted which included a range of questions on evidence on gambling advertising and its impacts.