SPORTS BETTING: IS AN ADVERTISING BAN JUSTIFIED?
Ahead of her appearance at the IAGA Summit Berlin in June, Grainne Hurst, CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, argues that banning sports betting advertising would harm consumer protection, grassroots sports funding, and the wider economy, and calls instead for balanced, evidence-based regulation that supports safer gambling standards while distinguishing legal operators from black-market threats.
At our 2025 AGM in February, the Minister for Gambling, Baroness Twycross, delivered a speech where she directly dealt with the topic, stating, “I completely understand that the ability to advertise is an important activity generally, and key advantage that licensed operators have over the illegal market.” Tis recognition, that advertising is critical in the fight against illicit black market activity, represents just one reason why sports advertising cannot be banned.
A major new study found 1.5m Brits stake up to £4.3bn on the growing, unsafe gambling black market each year. Te report published by leading consultants Frontier Economics, and commissioned by the BGC, found illegal operators are aggressively targeting UK customers, significantly undermining player protections, while sucking millions from sport and the Treasury. Te experience of comparable markets, including Europe, show bans and draconian restrictions don’t drive down harm or improve protections, they just make it harder for customers to spot the regulated operators, from the black market ones.
Te second point is sports advertising generates vital revenue. Sponsorship deals are crucial for promoting athlete development, training coaches, and ensuring that sports stay viable and sustainable. In lieu of sports advertising, a huge number of sports may struggle to remain viable (especially at a grass root level). Te regulated betting and gaming industry has provided some of the country’s most popular sport with vital funding, such as horseracing which overall benefits to the tune of £350m and, according to a report by EY, the English Football League and its clubs receive £40m, and snooker, darts and rugby league receive more than £12.5m. In the summer of 2024, the BGC welcomed new Codes of Conduct for Gambling Related Agreements across a number of major sporting bodies, significantly raising standards for sports sponsorship deals.
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Tese new frameworks, set new standards on safer gambling sponsorship focusing on four key principles: Protection of children and young people, social responsibility, reinvestment into sport and the maintenance of sporting integrity.
Moreover, advertising is crucial for keeping sports affordable for fans. Some of the worlds largest sporting events rely on sponsorships to subsidise costs for fans. Similarly, without sports advertising many broadcasters may have to either introduce or raise existing subscriptions. Tis would undoubtedly further limit the access of sports for fans.
Finally, sports advertising is a key economic driver, supporting a whole host of jobs across marketing, media, tourism and production. Te financial instability and loss of jobs resulting from a ban to sports advertising would be disastrous to both small and large business alike.
Instead of debating changes to advertising legislation, jurisdictions should focus on raising standards and promoting safer gambling practices. In the UK, advertising must comply with strict guidelines and safer gambling messaging, which promotes safer gambling tools and signposts help to those concerned about their betting, is regularly and prominently displayed. BGC members already commit 20 per cent of TV, radio and digital advertising to safer gambling messaging. In addition, the ‘whistle to whistle’ ban, voluntarily introduced by industry, means ads cannot be shown from five minutes before a live sporting event until five minutes after it ends, before the 9pm watershed. Tis has led to a 97 per cent reduction in the number of TV betting adverts seen by children during that period. Te previous Government stated research did not establish a causal link between exposure to advertising and the development of problem gambling. Balanced regulations, based on evidence, are always the best solutions.
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