The UK Will Prohibit Gambling Ads Featuring Athletes and Reality TV Stars

By John Isaac,
Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac Editor at online-gambling.com

John Isaac is an editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He writes expert articles on card games like blackjack and poker. In addition, he is also well aware of the US gambling laws and the Indian and Dutch gambling markets. You can rely on verified information and insightful details.

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Last updated: April 4, 2022

Betting and gambling industries will be prohibited from using ads that feature top-flight soccer players and other sports personalities, social media stars, and reality TV personalities. This new law is put in place to protect those below 18 and other susceptible groups.

The law will imply that previous gambling and betting marketing that features stars and celebrities like Kevin De Bruyne, Christiano Ronaldo, and Michael Owen would not be allowed in the UK. The new rules also prohibit displaying specific teams’ stadiums and football kits in ads. It also bans using gameplay and video game content that are popular with under-18s. These are important steps in combating underage gambling and trying to prevent gambling addiction in younger people.

Speaking about the ban, the director of the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), Shahriar Coupal, had this to say: “No more top-flight footballers or other high-profile sportspeople promoting the latest odds”.

He also said, “No more social media influencers, TV stars, or other celebrities popular with children inviting us to bet on red. And, no more gambling ads featuring video game images or gameplay familiar to many children’s lives.”

The Ban Applies Only to Ads That Are Likely to Appeal to People Under 18

Under the existing rule, an ad is only prohibited if it can appeal more to those under 18 than to adults.

Ads will be prohibited under the new rules if they are likely to appeal strongly to young persons or children, especially by being associated with youth culture, irrespective of how adults perceive them.

The new rule will go into effect in October, just in time for the next month’s World Cup in Qatar. Betting and gambling companies have traditionally spent big on marketing during World Cups to attract gamblers; that trend is expected to continue this year.

However, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which enforces the UK advertising code, has no authority to regulate the heated area of team sponsors. Coupal, speaking about the ban said that while it may not be visibly important now, the impact, especially in a World Cup year, will be of huge importance.

He further added that by prohibiting these activities, their new rules display a new period for gambling ads. According to Coupal, this is important especially for the age-restricted product they are promoting as their ads will then be more suitable for the 18+ audience they are targeting.

The Scope of the New Rule

The new rule will prohibit the use of any celebrity, ranging from Love Island contestants to sports stars, with a significant fan base of those below 18 years of age, in gambling and betting advertisements. The rule applies to both broadcast (radio, TV, and cinema) and non-broadcast media (posters, billboards, online, and newspapers).

The ASA reported that children were still seeing 2.2 gambling or betting ads per week on average. This is the lowest level it has been in the past 12 years, with current rules prohibiting anyone below 25 from being used in an ad related to a gambling product. However, this has not helped prevent gambling addicted students who have become hooked on gambling in the UK.