Labour calls for ban on TV gambling adverts during sports events

Britain's Labour party has pledged to ban certain types of gambling advertising if it wins the next general election.

Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson, set out a number of policies that would tighten regulations on Wednesday, saying the government was letting down around 430,000 people with a gambling addiction.

Watson said: “Problem gambling is Britain’s hidden epidemic and we must treat it as a public health emergency.”

“Gambling companies have to take more responsibility for harm caused by their products and contribute more to research and treatment,” he said.

“We must also face up to the negative effect the explosion in gambling advertising has had and act accordingly,” he added.

Labour argue that banning ads from “whistle to whistle” in live sports events is a good way to tackle the problem since gamblers are proven to be more impulsive when betting on live games.

The proposals include a £100m-a-year levy on gambling firms to fund addiction treatment, a ban on the use of credit cards to place bets, rules to allow addicts to ask their bank to block gambling transactions. and new clinical guidelines on treatment for problem gamblers.

Chris Skidmore, Conservative vice-chairman for policy, said: “Labour liberalised the gambling market when they were in power and have admitted that they were wrong.

“We are correcting Labour’s mistakes – ensuring tighter rules on gambling advertising, increasing protections around online gambling, launching a multimillion pound awareness campaign, commissioning research on the harms of problem gambling and slashing the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals, which were introduced under Labour.”