Public broadcaster Channel 4 is facing pressure from Labour MP Alex Sobel to stop airing betting companies’ ads across its platforms as the government ponders an outright ban.
Making the request in an official letter to Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon, the Leeds Central and Headingley MP has called for the change after numerous polls indicate that the majority of the UK public would support a total ban.
Mr Mahon has targeted Channel 4 as it is based within his constituency and is the only public broadcaster to carry gambling ads. Studies have shown these contribute to harmful gambling addictions, which have been proliferated by the easy availability of online betting over the last decade.
“The majority of the UK public support a full ban on gambling advertising. I am asking that you consider a full ban on gambling advertising on Channel 4,” the letter read.
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“Gambling advertising has increased substantially in recent years. Greater exposure to advertising poses a particular risk to people with a gambling problem, who are almost 40 times more likely than the general public to bet more as a result of seeing them.”
It is believed that betting companies are currently spending around £2 billion a year on gambling ads, with alarming figures suggesting that 36% of 11 to 16-year-olds have placed bets in the previous 12 months.
Mahon’s letter continued: “There has also been a rise in advertising that is directly aimed at women, a growing market for the gambling industry. The commission’s 2022 figures show that more women are gambling now than ever before. They also found more women are at risk of harm from gambling addiction.
“Removing gambling advertising from broadcast and on-demand television would provide another layer of protection for those vulnerable to gambling-related harms, and help stem the increase in gambling activity among new target demographics targeted by the gambling industry.”
