UK: Council Joins Coalition Proposing to End Gambling Ads

Changes to the gambling industry in the UK are imminent. Yet, responsible gambling advocates argue that the overhaul of the sector is long overdue, despite the recent third round of consultations on the Gambling Act white paper launched by the country’s gambling regulator, the Gambling Commission.

For years, gambling charities, support and treatment organizations have warned that far-reaching gambling ads exacerbate problem gambling and harm. In contrast, licensed gambling operators warn that a blanket ban on gambling ads or enhanced restrictions such as due diligence checks may push some consumers to the black market.

Coalition to End Gambling Ads Grows

Only recently, a local council became the first one to join a coalition that supports the prohibition of gambling advertising. That’s the case with the Haringey Council, which became the latest member of a group that proposes the prohibition of gambling ads as a way to combat harm called the Coalition to End Gambling Ads (CEGA), BBC reports.

The membership of the Haringey Council into CEGA comes at a time when millions are spent by the council annually on gambling-related issues, including costs related to unpaid rents, NHS, as well as homelessness. Those costs are an estimated £8 million ($9.9 million) annually, reaffirming the social and economic toll of gambling harm.

To make matters worse, data from the Gambling Commission reveals that Haringey is ranked as the fourth borough with the highest number of gambling venues in the capital, falling behind only to Brent, Enfield and Newham. Per the Haringey Council, an estimated 8,000 people living in the borough are affected by problem gambling. The wider impact of those individuals’ gambling activities translates to an estimated 25,000, which include friends, relatives and others.

The Council’s Actions May Be Noticed Nationwide

Will Prochaska, CEGA’s director, praised the Council’s decision to join the Coalition. He explained that while Councils do not have “adequate powers to protect their citizens from the predatory gambling industry,” their voices can be heard across the nation. “It’s important now that more councils follow Haringey’s lead,” Prochaska explained.

Echoing the words of the secretary of state for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy, Prochaska said that the gambling industry cannot grow concurrently with the protection of people from gambling harm. CEGA’s director added that the secretary of state needs to “urgently grasp this principle.”

Tracy O’Shaughnessy, the wife of a gambler who might have spent millions over the last three decades and is now in £85,000 ($105,600) debt, also supports the implementation of a gambling ad ban. Considering that she was affected by her husband’s gambling, she is now part of a lived experience and recovery network called GamLearn. “I think ads should be banned, we don’t need to see them,” O’Shaughnessy explained. The woman participated in the recent ceremony that saw the Haringey Council join CEGA.