Labour promises “whistle-to-whistle” ban on ads during live sport
TV ban is one of several proposals unveiled today including a statutory levy for problem gambling and a ban on credit card betting
A Labour government will implement a “whistle-to-whistle” ban on advertising during live sports, deputy leader Tom Watson has promised.
Watson today revealed the results of a year-long party review into gambling regulations, which also included calls for a ban on betting with credit cards, and a statutory levy to fund problem gambling treatment.
Watson said in a an op-ed for the Mirror this morning it had become impossible to watch live sport without being “bombarded” by gambling adverts.
“Ray Winstone barks at me every half time to ‘bet now’ whilst various US comedians take an easy pay day as live odds flash across the screen.
“All of this has meant that the relationship between gambling and sport has become increasingly normalised for adults as well as children watching.
“Rather than sport being about the spectacle and the competition, or the beauty of the game, it is now something that has to be bet on to be enjoyed.”
Watson pointed to recent comments by Philip Bowcock and Peter Jackson, who both said they would welcome more curbs on TV advertising.
“When the chief executives of William Hill and Paddy Power Betfair, as well as other leading industry figures are calling for a clampdown on advertising and for the Government to step in – you know something’s gone wrong,” Watson said.
He said a “whistle-to-whistle” ban on TV ads during live games would be a “line in the sand to protect vulnerable people and children”.
Sky Betting and Gaming CEO Richard Flint said the firm would study the proposals carefully, but any type of blanket ban would remove a key incentive for operators to get a UK gambling licence and therefore could leave UK customers more vulnerable to “disreputable operators”.
On the proposed ban on using credit cards to be, Flint said SBG’s data showed customers with multiple cards are at greater risk of harm, so more attention should be placed on that rather than a complete ban.
Marc Etches, chief executive of GambleAware, said the wider Labour proposals touched on many of the concerns GambleAware had been expressing.
“We do think it is necessary to have a statutory levy to secure sufficient and sustainable funding for research, education and treatment to reduce gambling –related harms in Britain. Gambling is a public health issue and so it is for policy-makers to decide the details of this, but we agree with the recommendation that it is needed.
“Also, we think it right to ban the use of credit cards for gambling. For an industry rightly challenged to do better in terms of customer protection, providing the opportunity to gamble on the basis of credit seems to us to be fundamentally wrong.”