The Industry Group for Responsible Gambling has confirmed plans to ban betting ads on television during live sports games.
It was reported last week that some of Britain’s biggest gambling firms had voluntarily agreed to a television advertising ban but the claims were later denied by the Remote Gambling Association who insisted they hadn’t made any agreement.
However, the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG) has now confirmed that the ban will take effect in 2019 following mounting pressure over the number of gambling ads broadcasted during live sports events, the BBC reports.
Under the ban, no betting adverts will be shown during live sports event before the 9 PM watershed from five minutes before and five minutes after the event. According to reports, the ban will also include events that begin before the watershed but end after it and re-runs of events or highlight shows aired before the watershed.
While the ban will cover most major sporting events, horse racing and greyhound racing are exempt due to their commercial importance of gambling.
In a statement, IGRG Chairman John Hagan said: “We believe that this is itself a watershed moment as we strive to provide the ever safer gambling environment which gambling consumers and the wider public expect, and which is so important to the future success and sustainability of our industry.
“Today the gambling industry is responding positively to public concerns about the amount of gambling advertising on television before the watershed.”
The ban comes following mounting pressure from the public and several organisations who have been urging for a restriction on the amount of gambling ads.
Back in September, the Labour party announced several new policies to tackle gambling problems including a ban on gambling advertisements during live sporting events, a rule that stopped players from using their credit cards and another rule that allowed them to block gambling transactions.
Shortly after, the Church of England shared its support for the ban and the boss and owner of Ladbrokes and Coral joined in on the debate, calling for a ban on ads before the 9 PM watershed.
