GVC calls for total ban on UK sports betting adverts
London-listed operator promises to end all UK football sponsorships and asks industry to back total TV ad ban
GVC Holdings today called for a total ban on all televised UK sports betting adverts, insisting the imminent whistle-to-whistle ad ban does “not go far enough”.
The London-listed operator has requested a ban for all sports betting ads on TV at any time of day, including on both live and repeated sporting events, with horseracing the only exemption.
Under the new proposals published by GVC CEO Kenny Alexander, adverts specifically promoting responsible gambling campaigns would be permitted – but limited to just one per ad break.
Alexander has asked the industry to go one step further than the already-agreed whistle-to-whistle ad ban which comes into play on live sporting events from August 2019.
As well as the advertising ban, GVC has also committed to ending all of its sponsorship deals with UK football clubs “to allow fans to watch their favourite teams without seeing incentives to bet”.
GVC feasibly stands to gain from an ad ban as one of the largest incumbent players in the sector, benefiting from the natural exposure of its vast retail estate.
The operator said it also intends to build on its Changing for the Bettor safer gambling campaign by further investing in RET, donating to treatment centres (starting with the Manchester treatment centre at Leon House) and offering gamban software for free to users showing signs of problem gambling.
Alexander said: “Whilst the vast majority of our customers enjoy our products responsibly, it is high time that the industry did more to protect its customers from potential harm.
“As the UK’s largest gambling company, and owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, we at GVC are doing exactly that.
“I call on our industry peers to help us bring about an end to broadcast advertising which promotes sports betting in the UK – no matter the time of day.
“Increasing investment in research, education and treatment ten-fold by 2022, funding treatment centres and using technology to intervene before a problem develops, alongside our existing behavioural analytics, brings to life our commitment to be the most trusted and enjoyable betting operator in the world.
“The industry should and can do more to protect the vulnerable, and today’s announcement demonstrates GVC’s commitment to delivering on that,” he added.
To read Alexander’s exclusive EGR Intel opinion piece on this topic, please click here.