Sadiq Khan pledges to ban London Underground gambling ads
Mayor of London vows to extend junk food and body-shaming ad ban to include gambling marketing ahead of May election
Sadiq Khan has promised to ban gambling advertising on the London Underground network if he is re-elected as mayor next month.
The Labour candidate’s election pledge was released last night and revealed the current ban on junk food and body-shaming ads would be extended to include gambling.
The election is scheduled for 6 May. Khan has served as Mayor of London since 2016.
He said: “I’ve already banned body-shaming advertisements and advertisements for foods high in fat, salt and sugar on the TfL (Transport for London) network because of their impact on the health of Londoners.
“Given the devastating way gambling addiction can destroy lives and families, I’ll instruct TfL to bring forward plans to extend the ban to harmful gambling advertisements on the network,” he added.
It is common for UK-licensed operators to advertise on the Tube via traditional platform posters.
This method has been used by companies including Football Index, which collapsed and slipped into administration in March, forcing through the suspension of its licence by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).
Advertising from 24th April on the London Underground. Football INDEX will be visible on 3.5 million passenger journeys a day. Mind the gap!
— Adam Cole (@AdamColeFI) April 18, 2017
Gambling advertising is a central theme of the ongoing Gambling Act 2005 review where TV advertising and sporting sponsorships could also be set for curbs.