Key Moments:
- GambleAware’s latest report highlights a major imbalance in online gambling advertising exposure affecting young people in disadvantaged UK communities.
- Survey data reveals that 62 percent of 11- to 17-year-olds encountered online gambling ads in the previous year, with problem gambling rates nearly three times higher in deprived areas.
- Seven regulatory reforms have been proposed to address online advertising risks, with significant political and industry debate ahead of the November 26 Budget.
Regulatory Outdatedness and Social Disparities
GambleAware’s final in-depth policy analysis, delivered ahead of its scheduled closure in March 2026, uncovers a significant weakness in the UK’s regulatory landscape surrounding online gambling advertising. The report makes clear that the current frameworks, which were crafted prior to widespread internet access among children, have failed to evolve alongside rapid technological and social changes—leaving vulnerable youth, particularly those in the UK’s most deprived regions, exposed to unprecedented levels of gambling promotion.
Transition CEO Anna Hargrave emphasizes, “The current regulations covering gambling marketing and advertising online were designed before most children had easy access to the internet. Urgent action is needed to update these rules and bring them into the digital age to help keep children and young people safe from gambling harm.”
As GambleAware prepares for a transfer of its public-health duties to new statutory commissioners in April, the spotlight is on how effectively the next wave of reforms can bridge persistent gaps in advertising oversight.
Advertising Exposure and Its Impact
The levels of exposure to gambling advertisements among young people have reached a near-universal scale, according to the Gambling Commission’s 2024 Young People and Gambling survey. The findings indicate that 62 percent of young people aged 11 to 17 viewed gambling promotions online over the past year, while a striking 79 percent favored tightening social-media advertising guidelines.
GambleAware’s own analysis demonstrates a profound equity gap, with 11 percent of young adults in the most deprived communities experiencing problem-level gambling, compared to only 4 percent in the least deprived areas. Among young adults from Black backgrounds, this figure escalates to 23 percent versus 6 percent among their White peers. Furthermore, individuals classified as at-risk gamblers in less affluent areas are three times more likely to report suicidality than those in wealthier districts, with rates of 36 percent and 11 percent, respectively.
The report details how digital marketing algorithms and concentrated local advertising combine to create a “double exposure” effect for lower-income and minority groups, compounding the risks these populations face.
| Demographic | Problem Gambling Rate |
|---|---|
| Young adults (most deprived areas) | 11% |
| Young adults (least deprived areas) | 4% |
| Young adults (Black backgrounds) | 23% |
| Young adults (White peers) | 6% |
Momentum for Policy Change
Public sentiment is strongly aligned with reform. The End Gambling Ads Alliance survey indicated 90 percent of adults support banning gambling promotions on sites frequented by minors, with 86 percent of 11- to 17-year-olds seeking more robust gambling education.
GambleAware has outlined seven actionable reforms targeting marketing equity and safety. These include banning the use of influencers, celebrities, and tipsters in adverts, raising the minimum age for paid media to 25, toughening restrictions on high-risk products, requiring health warnings, stopping promotions on platforms popular with youth, enhancing cross-agency oversight, and substantially limiting inducement-based marketing.
- Ban use of influencers, celebrities, and tipsters in gambling ads
- Apply age-gating for paid gambling promotions to users 25 and older
- Tighten advertising of high-risk products such as online slots and casino games
- Mandate health warnings and support service signposting in all online ads
- Restrict advertising on youth-oriented channels and platforms
- Expand oversight through new and existing digital safety programs
- Limit inducement offers, like free bets, masking true costs
While these measures seek comprehensive industry reform, current enforcement remains divided between the ASA, UKGC, and Ofcom, with no unified body overseeing all online ad placements.
Political and Industry Responses
The discussion over gambling policy reform is intertwined with fiscal proposals. In September 2025, 101 Labour MPs, led by Alex Ballinger, formally requested the Chancellor to increase gambling duties—up to 50 percent on online slots and betting-shop machines—to finance the removal of the two-child benefit cap.
Ballinger’s letter states: “No child should be growing up in poverty while gambling companies continue to enjoy record profits.” He added, “Harms from gambling place a huge burden on our public services, costing the Exchequer over £1 billion a year.”
Policy research has projected that this tax increase could yield £3.2 billion annually and help lift 500,000 children out of poverty, echoing GambleAware’s emphasis on the social costs borne by the nation’s poorest communities.
Industry response has pushed back strongly. Graeme Hurst of the Betting and Gaming Council argues that higher taxes risk channeling customers into unregulated markets, directly undermining safe-gambling standards and jeopardizing tax revenue. Gambling minister Baroness Twycross warns that substantial tax hikes create a “real risk” of shifting gambling activity offshore.
Investor Concerns Amid Evolving Regulation
With the dual threat of stricter compliance demands and increased taxation, gambling operators face mounting uncertainty. Internal compliance specialists warn that restricting advertising to individuals over 25 could sharply contract the legal market and significantly raise customer acquisition costs. High-street businesses fear that further shop closures would deal a blow to community cohesion as well as revenue.
The Betting and Gaming Council points to the current self-regulatory system—including CAP and BCAP codes, with ASA enforcement—as proof of industry responsibility. They highlight the transparency of advertising spend and the deployment of exclusion tools as effective controls.
Conversely, public health researchers and the UK Gambling Commission caution that data-driven advertising disproportionately targets young and economically disadvantaged groups. Although the Commission’s 2024–25 strategies introduce improvements to marketing consent and risk controls, inequities persist, and GambleAware has called for a fundamental reappraisal of digital advertising standards.
Upcoming Regulatory Shifts
The imminent takeover of research, treatment, and funding programs by new gambling-harm commissioners across England, Scotland, and Wales leaves crucial advertising policy oversight unresolved. Unless the Department for Culture, Media and Sport or the UK Gambling Commission legislates GambleAware’s recommendations, ongoing enforcement could fall into administrative gray areas.
Operators now confront the challenge of adapting to a regulatory environment defined by both financial pressure and heightened standards. Whether new commissioners embrace or reject the charity’s blueprint, the outcome will have immediate and lasting impact.
GambleAware’s concluding appeal is unequivocal: to protect vulnerable populations, the UK gambling sector must update its advertising ethical frameworks for the realities of the digital world, or risk deepening already entrenched social divisions.
- Author
Daniel Williams
