BGC Says No Evidence Between Gambling Advertising and Problem Gambling
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The UK government, UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) are being put under pressure by anti-gambling groups who are campaigning for gambling advertising to be banned in the backdrop of Euro 2020.
Euro 2020 will see a total of 51 football matches take place all across Europe from June 11 to July 11. This is a massive sporting event in Europe but especially in the UK as England are one of the betting favorites that are expected to win Euro 2020.
Push For Gambling Ads To Be Banned
Gambling operators tend to spend heavily on advertising during football tournaments like Euro 2020 and the FIFA World Cup. Anti-gambling groups started pushing for a blanket ban on gambling related ads a couple of months before Euro 2020 could start.
Anti-gambling operators claimed that popular TV networks like Sky Sports and ITV would allow gambling operators to spend heavily and bombard viewers with gambling ad content which in turn would result in an increase in problem gambling. UK broadcasters refused to give into the blanket ban push but have given in to some extent by promising to reduce the number of gambling ads.
BGC Says No Evidence
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) is an independent body comprising of gaming and betting operators in the UK. One of the missions of the BGC is to work together with gaming regulators, government authorities and its members to ensure that everyone one is on the same page.
When the UK Government formed a special committee to review the archaic 2005 Gaming Act, the BGC supported the move and said that its members would work together with the government to do what is best for the general public.
However, the BGC is not willing to accept the calls for gambling advertising to be banned. BGC CEO Michael Dugher said initially anti-gambling opponents called for advertising bans to be implemented when the COVID-19 lockdown hit as they expected gambling addiction to spike. They were wrong as stats show there was no indication of an increase in overall problem gambling.
Dugher says anti-gambling opponents are once again exaggerating their claims with regards to gambling advertising during Euro 2020 and the impact on problem gambling. His view was supposed by John Whittingdale, the DCMS minister who is spearheading the review of the 2005 Gaming Act.