UK House of Lords Committee Calls for Comprehensive Gambling Advertising Ban

The UK House of Lords Liaison Committee has called for a comprehensive ban on gambling advertising, marketing and sponsorship, arguing that stronger restrictions should form part of a public health approach to reducing gambling-related harm.

The recommendation was included in the committee's 173-page report, *Gambling Harm—Time for Action: Follow-up report*, published on 17 September 2026. The report follows up on the House of Lords' 2020 examination of the social and economic impact of the gambling industry and focuses particularly on the development of gambling advertising and marketing since that inquiry.

The committee concluded that a comprehensive ban on gambling advertising would be the most effective policy option for reducing gambling-related harm and called for implementation as soon as practicable.

The proposed restrictions would cover advertising across television, online platforms and other media, as well as gambling sponsorship in sport. The committee also recommended restrictions on the use of influencers and content creators to promote gambling.

The report proposes that gambling logos and other promotional material should be removed from sports kits, venues and other sporting environments. It also considers restrictions on promotional inducements and marketing language used to encourage customers to gamble.

The committee's recommendations distinguish between different forms of gambling activity. Advertising connected with lotteries and certain racing activities could receive exemptions under the proposed framework, while the government would determine whether particular categories should remain outside a comprehensive prohibition.

The committee's inquiry examined how gambling advertising has changed since the 2020 report. It identified the expansion of digital advertising, social media promotion and influencer marketing as significant developments in the intervening period.

The report also examined exposure of children and young people to gambling advertising and the relationship between advertising and gambling behaviour. It considered evidence concerning both under-18s and adults experiencing problem gambling.

The committee estimated that between 1 million and 1.5 million adults in Great Britain experience gambling at a level that may be described as problem gambling. The report identified associated harms including financial difficulties, borrowing to fund gambling, reduced household spending, relationship problems and other impacts on individuals and families.

The committee stated that gambling-related harm should be addressed as a public health issue and argued that advertising restrictions should form part of that approach.

The report represents a significant change from the position taken by the House of Lords' earlier gambling inquiry in 2020. The previous committee had examined the role of advertising but did not recommend a comprehensive prohibition at that time. The latest inquiry was specifically established to assess developments since then and the effectiveness of the existing regulatory framework.

The committee also considered the potential effect of advertising restrictions on the licensed gambling market. Its report acknowledged that a comprehensive ban would reduce the size of the gambling sector by limiting the ability of licensed operators to promote their services and acquire customers through advertising.

The committee nevertheless considered that reducing gambling activity was consistent with its public health objective. It argued that expenditure currently directed towards gambling could instead be spent elsewhere in the economy.

The proposed restrictions would affect a wide range of commercial activities. Gambling operators currently use television advertising, online advertising, sponsorship agreements, sports partnerships, social media campaigns, promotional offers and other marketing channels to reach consumers.

Sports sponsorship is a particular focus of the report. Gambling companies have established commercial relationships with football clubs, leagues, competitions and other sporting organisations in the UK. A comprehensive prohibition would therefore affect sponsorship arrangements as well as conventional advertisements.

The committee also examined the potential effect of digital marketing. Online advertising allows gambling operators to target particular audiences through social media, websites, search engines and other digital channels. The report considered the difficulty of applying traditional advertising rules to newer forms of promotional content, particularly where commercial material is presented through influencers or content creators.

The committee recommended that the regulatory framework should address these newer forms of promotion rather than relying exclusively on rules designed for television, radio and traditional advertising.

The issue of illegal gambling was also considered. Licensed operators and industry representatives have argued that a comprehensive advertising ban could reduce the visibility of regulated operators while leaving illegal operators able to target consumers through offshore websites, social media and other channels.

The committee considered this argument but stated that it was not persuaded that restrictions on advertising by licensed operators would necessarily lead to significant displacement towards the illegal market.

The recommendation comes as the UK government is separately taking measures against advertising and sponsorship connected with unlicensed gambling operators. In July 2026, the government consulted on proposals to prohibit businesses from entering into advertising and sponsorship arrangements with gambling operators that are not licensed by the UK Gambling Commission.

The government proposals are specifically directed at unlicensed operators, while the Lords committee's recommendation would go substantially further by restricting advertising by licensed gambling businesses as well.

The government's existing regulatory programme also includes measures addressing illegal gambling, including cooperation between regulators, law-enforcement agencies and other organisations involved in identifying illegal operators and restricting their access to advertising and payment systems.

The Lords committee's report does not itself create a new legal prohibition. Its recommendations would require action by the government and, where necessary, legislative or regulatory changes before they could become binding requirements for gambling businesses.

Any future legislation would need to determine the precise scope of the restrictions, including the treatment of different gambling products, sponsorship arrangements, online advertising, affiliates, influencers, social-media content, lotteries and racing.

The potential effect on gambling operators would also depend on the final legal framework. A prohibition covering only paid advertising would have different implications from one extending to sponsorship, affiliate marketing, promotional inducements, branded content and other forms of commercial exposure.

The committee's recommendations are part of a broader review of gambling regulation in the UK following the government's 2023 gambling white paper and subsequent regulatory reforms. The UK has already introduced additional measures concerning online gambling, customer protection, financial vulnerability and the funding of research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harm.

The latest Lords report places advertising restrictions within that wider regulatory framework and calls for further action specifically targeting the promotion of gambling.

The Betting and Gaming Council, which represents licensed betting and gaming operators, has opposed the proposed comprehensive ban. The industry body has argued that removing advertising by licensed operators could reduce the distinction between regulated and illegal gambling businesses and could make it more difficult for consumers to identify legitimate operators.

The debate therefore involves both the potential effect of advertising restrictions on gambling-related harm and the implications for the relationship between the regulated and unregulated markets.

The Lords committee has called for the government to implement a comprehensive advertising ban as soon as practicable. The recommendation does not establish a timetable for legislation or indicate that the government has accepted the proposal.

Any implementation would require decisions on the scope of the ban, exemptions, enforcement responsibilities and the treatment of existing advertising and sponsorship contracts.

The report nevertheless places gambling advertising at the centre of the current UK debate on gambling regulation. If adopted, the committee's recommendations would significantly change the way licensed gambling operators market their products and would affect advertising, sponsorship, digital promotion, influencer activity and promotional incentives across the UK gambling sector.

By fLEXI tEAM