News by email Donate

Suggestions

Top Stories

Most Read

Popular Videos

Gambling-TV-main_article_image.png
UK News

New gambling ad standards don't go far enough, say Christian campaigners

by Cara Bentley

They state that celebrities, sportspeople and TV characters who appear to be under 25 will be banned from being used in gambling adverts.

'Influencers' online will have to prove that their fan-base is less than 25% under 18 year-olds for them to endorse gambling.

The new standards are a response to the growing concern at the number of child gamblers reported to exist in the UK (estimated 450,000 11-16 year olds according to the Gambling Commission) and follow a review of the evidence on advertising's impact on under-18s and rulings by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The ASA have previously banned adverts which use animated characters thought to particularly appeal to children.

The latest guidance, drawn up by the Committees of Advertising Practice will come into force from 1st April but the news has been met with dissatisfaction from the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Rev Alan Smith, who has brought up the issue of gambling several times in the House of Lords.

He told Premier why: "They haven't changed any actual rules, these are simply new guidelines and so far the gambling industry has shown itself either unwilling or uncapable of self-regulation".

Bishop Alan said: "The most important thing we need is to make sure there are proper sanctions for the existing rules because when you look at some of the other industry regulators - such as Ofcom and Ofwhat - they not only have very great powers but they are able to find people who transgress.

"We have quite a number of examples which are well recorded and reported in the press where gambling companies, either intentionally or accidentally have absolutely crossed the line in what they've done and there's virtually no sanctions taken against them".

The Christian lobby group CARE (Christian, Action, Reasearch and Education) recently helped fight for a reduced maximum stake at fixed odd betting terminals, something the Government decided to adopt last year.

CARE's spokesperson James Mildred told Premier his thoughts on the new proposals: "While I accept it's a good thing these new regulations are coming in, that mean that celebrities and influencers that look 25 or younger will no longer be able to be used, nevertheless, we have to recognise that celebrities that are older than 25 also do appeal to young people".

He added: "Look at the watershed, look at making sure, the same way we have a 9 o'clock watershed for content that's shown on TV, that should apply to gamblilng advertising as well".

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate