London Mayor Sadiq Khan has come under fire for breaking his pledge to ban gambling adverts across the Transport for London (TfL) network.
However, such a ban has not yet been introduced.
As part of an investigation by the London Assembly’s Health Committee, Mayoral representatives argued there are limitations in the available evidence linking gambling advertising with gambling harm, with no clear definition of what constitutes a harmful ad.
But the Committee concluded it was not possible to distinguish between harmful and non-harmful gambling ads, and that the Mayor should therefore bring forward a “blanket ban.”
According to evidence submitted by the charity GambleAware, London has the highest rate of “problem gambling” in all regions in Great Britain, despite having a lower prevalence of gambling overall.
Dr Onkar Sahota AM, Chair of the London Assembly Health Committee, said: “It is hard to escape the presence of gambling in London. From the betting shops which spread along the capital’s high streets, to our transport network, billboards, TV and online, there are invitations to gamble everywhere you look.”
Sahota argued one “crucial area” in which the Mayor can make a difference “relates to advertising on the TfL estate.”
“The committee acknowledges the limitations in the evidence base linking gambling advertising with gambling harm. However, the absence of evidence of harm does not equate to evidence of an absence of harm and it seems unrealistic to expect definitive evidence to emerge on this topic in the near future.”
The calls come amid a cash crunch at TfL, which has been propped up by some £6.6bn in government bailouts since the pandemic wiped out passenger numbers.
London’s transport operator received £663,640 in revenue from gambling adverts in 2022/23.
A ban on gambling ads would be the latest action limiting marketing of products and services said to cause social harm on the TfL network. Ads promoting negative body images were banned in 2016, followed up by a ban on high fat and sugar foods in 2019.
A spokesperson for the Mayor said: “All adverts that run on TfL’s estate must follow the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) code, which enforces specific restrictions on gambling campaigns.
“The Greater London Authority’s (GLA) public health unit commissioned an independent review of existing research on harmful gambling to help develop the understanding of this subject.
“This work showed evidence gaps in relation to definitions of harmful gambling advertising, and the impact of restricting out-of-home advertising. Further policy development work is underway and will be considered in due course.”