London Mayor Sadiq Khan is being called on to ban gambling advertisements on Transport for London. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Promise not met

Calls are being made to ban “harmful gambling advertisements” on the Transport for London (TfL) amid problem gambling growing in the UK.

During his election campaign in 2021, London Mayor Sadiq Khan promised to instruct the TfL to “bring forward plans to extend the ban to harmful gambling advertisements on the network.”

Wild West with betting operators”

However, two years later, a committee meeting at the London Assembly on Wednesday saw politicians calling on Khan to make good on his promise. Harj Gahley, an adviser at gambling support charity Red Card, said: “It seems to be a Wild West with betting operators. One of [the solutions] is stopping it on TfL.”

Rather an imposing a blanket ban, Khan intends to ban gambling adverts deemed harmful. Yet, according to Green Party Leader Caroline Russell, Khan’s administration is “dancing on the head of a pin” about what was labeled as “harmful” gambling.

Define harmful gambling

Dr. Tom Coffey, Khan’s senior adviser on health policy, was questioned during the meeting as to why the mayor had yet to follow through on his promise.

Coffey said without a definition of harmful gambling from the government, the mayor’s office risked targeting potentially less harmful forms of gambling such as the UK’s National Lottery.

a form of social engagement”

For many people in the UK, Coffey said that gambling was “a form of social engagement and participation which they enjoy.”

UK’s problem gambling

Calls for a ban on gambling advertising in the UK come as the country’s problem gambling rate could be significantly higher than the previous 0.3 percent estimate. A new study published by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has revealed Great Britain’s problem gambling rate could be eight times worse than previously thought.

In February 2022, the watchdog estimated the number of people with a gambling problem to be as low as 0.3 percent of adults. That figure has since been revised to 2.5 percent, translating to approximately 1.3 million adults at risk.

According to the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC), the figures were experimental and stated they remained “under evaluation.”