With London’s gambling-related harm rate being almost double the national average, government ministers are coming under increasing pressure to agree on a formal definition of ‘harmful gambling’ that would enable the Mayor of London to ban betting ads on public transport.
Sir Sadiq Khan, who has served as the Mayor of London since 2016, had previously promised to ensure that Transport for London (TfL) prohibits the promotion of casinos and gambling websites across the entire tube network, but as yet has been unable to enact such plans due to the government failing to provide clear guidance on the issue.
Until such a framework is put in place, any action to remove gambling ads on London’s public transport could be subject to legal challenge, which has led to fresh calls for the government to act on the matter and create guidelines the mayor can uphold to any companies who oppose the measures.
The increased focus on tackling gambling-related harm in the capital comes on the back of this month’s publication of the Gambling Commission’s Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), which revealed that over half of Londoners have gambled within the past 12 months – with 37% of those surveyed participating in the previous four weeks.
“London is on the frontline of the nation’s gambling crisis, and we cannot sit back while communities pay the price,” said London Assembly member and Labour health spokesman, Krupesh Hirani, who last week set up an action group to tackle problem gambling within the capital.
“The mayor has successfully managed to ban fast food ads on TfL – he’s able to do that because there’s verified health guidance from the government.
“The same advice does not exist for gambling [and] the mayor wants to ensure there is a robust enough policy which can withstand legal challenge. Our ask to government is to create that guidance so that the mayor can hold it up.”
The post Pressure grows on UK government to grant TfL the power to ban gambling ads first appeared on EGR Intel.
Ministers face fresh calls to formally define ‘harmful gambling’ and pave the way for the Mayor of London to impose a ban on betting adverts on public transport
The post Pressure grows on UK government to grant TfL the power to ban gambling ads first appeared on EGR Intel.