Pressure on ministers as polling shows support for gambling ads crackdown

Ministers will come under mounting pressure to introduce curbs on gambling advertising this year, as MPs and campaigners take note of polling that indicates widespread public support for tougher restrictions.

- Rob Davies

Policies affecting gambling have been the subject of fierce debate over recent years, leading to stricter regulation of the £12.5bn-a-year sector and higher taxes announced in November's budget, despite intensive lobbying by the industry.

But, while successive governments have brought in measures such as lower stake limits on online slot machines and a statutory levy to fund addiction treatment, gambling advertising has remained largely unaffected.

New polling, shared with the Guardian, indicates strong public backing for a much less permissive approach to gambling ads, which have exploded in volume since deregulation by Labour in 2005.

Surveys were conducted by More in Common and commissioned by the Coalition to End Gambling Ads as part of a report titled Ending A Losing Streak. They found that 70% of people support tougher curbs on advertising and sponsorship, with 27% saying that gambling companies should not be allowed to promote themselves at all.