Gambling Industry Agrees Advertising Code

A new voluntary code has been drawn up by the gambling industry which includes a ban on TV advertising before the 9pm watershed.

The code for socially responsible advertising is supported by 12 industry bodies, including the British Casino Association and the Association of British Bookmakers, and comes following increasing pressure from the new culture secretary, James Purnell.

The pre-9pm ban on TV advertising applies to all gambling products. However, there are exceptions to this rule, including ads for the National Lottery, bingo and for betting around televised sporting events.

The code requires that all TV ads have a reference to the gambleaware.co.uk website, which gives advice on responsible gambling.

The code also states that gambling “logos and other gambling promotional material should not appear on commercial merchandising which is designed for use by children”.

Last month, ISBA published a voluntary set of guidelines for its members’ websites concerning online food and drink ads, aimed at encouraging responsible “self regulation” when it comes to food messages and children (see ISBA Sets Out Guidelines For Online Junk Ads).

In June, a bill to introduce a 9pm watershed for junk food TV adverts cleared its first major hurdle in the House of Lords (see Junk Food Ad Ban Bill Passes First Hurdle).

The gambling code will be monitored and reviewed by an industry group made up of the Association of British Bookmakers, the Bingo Association, British Amusement Catering Trade Association, British Casino Association, Business in Sport and Leisure, and the Remote Gambling Association.