This week, the advertising regulatory authority in the UK revealed that fewer gambling adverts tend to reach British children on television.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) published its latest report regarding the exposure of children to age-restricted TV adverts that is built on the watchdog’s previous research that covered the nine-year period from 2008 to 2017.
According to the findings of the research, British children were exposed to an average of 3.2 gambling ads on the TV on a weekly basis in 2018. The rate is approximately equivalent to the figures that were reported in every one of the past five years.
The previous report was published by the ASA in February 2019 to provide more details about children’s exposure to TV adverts for gambling, alcohol, food and soft drinks. This one, however, is especially focused on the exposure of underage individuals to gambling adverts on TV in 2018.
As it also became clear by the results of the ASA’s latest report, children continue to see fewer gambling adverts on TV in comparison to their parents, with the overall exposure of underage individuals to gambling advertising relative to the one of the adults experiencing a steady drop from 38.6% in 2008 to 20.4% in 2018.
Stricter Regulatory Measures Taken by Authorities to Tackle Extreme Exposure to Gambling Ads
As revealed in the latest report of the Advertising Standards Authority, in the 10-year period between 2008 and 2018, children’s exposure to gambling adverts on TV increased from an average of 2.2 ads weekly in 2008 to 3.2 ads weekly in 2018.
The peak in the children’s exposure rates to gambling adverts on TV was reached in 2013 when an average of 4.4 ads reaching young individuals was reported. Still, the figure saw a steady decline following the new gambling ads’ restriction rules that were unveiled by the major gambling regulatory body in the country, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).
In fact, 2008 was the first full year when legal gambling advertising was allowed to appear on TV, as adverts for online casino and sports betting on TV were banned before that. However, the regulation in the gambling sector, including gambling advertising, has become stricter over the recent years due to the rising concerns that extremely large exposure to gambling advertising could push children and vulnerable adults to getting hooked on the services that could literally ruin lives.
For the time being, advertising on gambling products on TV is not allowed except football pools, lotteries, prize gaming, equal-chance gaming or Category D gaming terminals. In the 2008-2017 period, gambling adverts account for less 2% of all adverts that children viewed on TV, with a slight increase marked in 2018. Also, it was revealed that most gambling ads reached by British children on television involve lottery, bingo and scratchcards.
- Author
Daniel Williams
