Council leaders from the Local Government Association (LGA) have called for greater restrictions to be imposed on gambling advertising in order for better protection for young people to be ensured. Considering the increasing popularity of gambling advertising as well as the fact that young children often watch sports events, the Local Government Association has been focused on taking measures that would prevent young people from being affected by possible gambling addictions.
According to an industry research, almost one in ten children between the age of 11 and 15 are followers of gambling companies on social media. The age category of 16 to 24, on the other hand, represents the second highest rates of problem gambling. On the other hand, the Local Government Association cited report according to which gambling advertising volumes have increased by 500% in the period from 2007 and 2012. This, according to the LGA puts young persons and more vulnerable people at risk from becoming a gambling addict.
According to the Chairman of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, Councillor Simon Blackburn, the increasing volume of gambling advertisements was concerning, despite the fact that gambling was positioned by the Gambling Act as an acceptable gambling activity. As explained by Mr. Blackburn, according to the board, the right balance between socially responsible growth and customers and communities protection had been broken.
LGA’s Concerns with Increased Gambling Advertising
As mentioned above, millions of customers, including children, watch live football matches regularly, and a large number of Premier League and Championship football teams have sponsorship agreements with gambling operators. The Local Government Association, however has expressed its concerns that social responsibility measures have been undermined by the constantly rising volume of gambling advertising.
That is the reason why the LGA has called for the UK Government to consider imposing tighter measures on gambling advertising in the country. The Association has called for a reduction of the maximum stake allowed at fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs), which have lately been among the hottest topics in the UK gambling industry. The LGA has become part of the machines’ opponents, urging the authorities to cut the maximum stake allowed from £100 to £2. Also, the Association has also suggested that cumulative impact tests to be introduced in order for local councils to be given the right to reject new betting shops applications in areas where there already are large clusters of betting outlets.
According to Councillor Blackburn, Councils were also very concerned by the fact that they were stripped of their powers to restrain the rapid increase of FOBTs popularity as well as the concentration of high-street betting outlets. Currently, there are more than 34,000 fixed-odds betting machines on the territory of the UK. They believe that a reduction of the maximum stakes allowed at fixed-odds betting machines would turn out to be a successful method to protect customers from becoming addicted to gambling.
The LGA also reminded that problem gambling could lead to increasing debts, which on the other hand could result in deteriorating mental health and quality of life. It is the Association’s opinion that social responsibility measures and customer protection are matters of paramount importance, so local authorities need to be more focused on improving these measures in order to keep customers well-protected.
- Author
Daniel Williams
