House of Lords committee calls for near-total UK ban on gambling advertising in updated report

A cross-party House of Lords committee has recommended a comprehensive ban on gambling advertising across the UK, saying the clearest way to reduce gambling-related harm in Great Britain is to shrink marketing reach. It also wants the Gambling Commission to become the main statutory regulator for gambling advertising, replacing the ASA.

1. Published on 17 September, the House of Lords Liaison Committee’s follow-up report revisits its 2020 inquiry into the social and economic effects of the gambling industry, with advertising, marketing and sponsorship now front and centre. The committee said the evidence justifies “meaningful steps” against the sector, including a comprehensive advertising ban, to cut exposure among children and vulnerable groups and reduce problem gambling.
2. The report frames gambling harm as a public health issue, not just a compliance issue. It cites the Gambling Commission’s Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), which says between 1 and 1.5 million adults in Great Britain now score high enough on the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) to indicate problem gambling. On the PGSI scale, 0 or 1 to 3 is low-risk, 3 to 7 is moderate risk, and 8 or higher is problem gambling.
3. The committee also points to the post-2005 shift in advertising rules. It says the Gambling Act 2005 gave licensed operators broad advertising freedoms across media; before that, television and radio gambling advertising was limited to products such as bingo, football pools and the National Lottery. Since then, annual advertising expenditure by licensed operators has grown substantially and is now estimated at between £1 billion and £2 billion.
4. Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede, the committee chair, said the debate has moved on since 2020 because online marketing techniques and associated harms have expanded. The committee’s view is that the former inquiry’s recommendations were “largely unaddressed,” which is a polite parliamentary way of saying the industry has had time to adjust and the policy problem has only become more awkward.
5. For PSPs, acquirers and banks, the important part is not the rhetoric but the direction of travel: the committee wants gambling advertising regulated through a public health framework and has criticised the current patchwork of self-regulation, including the role of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). If that view gains traction, marketing compliance for UK-facing gambling merchants gets tighter, and the regulatory center of gravity moves further away from industry self-policing.