Tories would restrict online gambling advertising

The Conservative party has announced that should they be voted in that they would change the current rules on online gambling and sports betting advertising. The Conservatives believe that since the new rules on gambling advertising were brought in that there has been a very worrying increase in not only gambling but also those with gambling addictions. The report in the Telegraph has suggested that 17,760 people have gone on to become gambling addicts since the current Government relaxed the rules on gambling advertising in 2007.

The Tories believe that safeguards should be in place to protect the public and that currently the rules are ineffective in protecting the vulnerable from becoming gambling addicts. They point the finger of blame not only at the Labour Government but also at some foreign online gambling websites that they believe are not operating in the same way as UK sites. The shadow gambling minister, Tobias Ellwood said that they would impose much stricter rules on advertising in the UK if they were in power, and would not allow any advertising from foreign gambling websites that did not meet the new restrictions. The new rules would ensure that gambling helplines were promoted clearly on all websites, stake limits were set and a British ‘kite mark’ would be used by legitimate sites that would pay for the privilege of being on the approved list of British gambling sites.

The Labour run Department for Culture denied the allegations from the Conservative party saying that in fact their official research into the effects of gambling addiction had shown no rise in numbers with an addiction and that the numbers had remained static at 0.6% of the population with such a problem. They do not believe that there is any connection between increases in online gambling and those displaying addiction problems.

Currently only 2,000 of the 7,000 or so gambling websites are authorised to advertise in the UK, current rules mean that websites must be based in a country included in a government ‘white list’ to gain approval to advertise.