Gambling Advertising

Debate between Esther McVey and Beccy Cooper

Thursday 23rd April 2026 Westminster Hall

[Dr Cooper]

Let me see if I can answer that, and the hon. Member can tell me if I have not. During our experience with big tobacco, there was a big illegal market—a black market. We brought in various rules and regulations, and we got our environmental health officers and Customs on it. We were absolutely able to look at the black market in tobacco alongside regulating the legal industry. It is perfectly possible to do. In the world of online advertising—the hon. Member referred to the wild west—we have to be very intelligent in how we look at regulation, but it is possible. It needs better brains than mine to figure out how to do it digitally, but it absolutely is possible.

Moving on, evidence shows that one quarter of people who gamble have done so in direct response to advertising. That figure rises to almost four fifths among those at highest risk.

[Esther McVey]

I feel it only fair to raise the same points with the hon. Lady as I did earlier. She has been written to twice by the Gambling Commission for misusing its statistics and has been written to by the Office for Statistics Regulation about the misuse of statistics. As we listen to her numbers now, I wonder, are they right?

[Dr Cooper]

I am a public health consultant, and I am still licensed to practise as a public health consultant. I am trained in epidemiology statistics, and I have passed professional exams on both. We have had email correspondence from the people the right hon. Lady mentions, and we have replied to that evidence, stating why the statistics that we are using are absolutely the best evidence that we have. I am happy to share the correspondence, if that is helpful.

Gambling advertising is not passive, but a core driver of market growth. As we heard, the industry spends up to £1.5 billion to £2 billion annually on advertising, marketing and sponsorship. The cumulative effect is a system that embeds gambling into everyday life, increasing the likelihood and severity of harm. Like tobacco, gambling is not just an issue of individual choice, but a product designed and marketed to drive addiction.

What should we do? First, gambling advertising should be understood as a public health issue, not simply a matter of consumer choice or industry regulation. In fact, the World Health Organisation has called for restrictions on gambling advertising, marketing and sponsorship as part of a public health response.

I am grateful that the Minister is taking the time to consider the issues on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport this afternoon, but I am of the opinion that gambling sits squarely in the world of health, alongside other addictive products, and the responsibility for it should be transferred to the Department of Health and Social Care. Addressing gambling as a public health issue requires moving beyond incremental, industry-led measures towards clear, enforceable statutory regulation. Our approach continues to rely heavily on lacklustre and ineffective self-regulation. Despite existing restrictions, children continue to be widely exposed to gambling advertising across television, sport and social media.

Parliament has previously taken a precautionary approach in areas such as tobacco, alcohol and junk food marketing, where there is credible evidence of harm. Gambling advertising meets the same threshold, given its demonstrated links to increased participation and harm. As we have heard, other countries, including Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Australia, have already introduced stronger restrictions based on similar evidence, The UK’s continued reliance on limited and voluntary measures has left it an outlier, rather than a leader in protecting public health.

The Government already have powers under existing legislation, including the Gambling Act 2005, to take further action. The issue is no longer whether change is possible, but whether there is the political will to act decisively. Public concern is already there, with about two thirds of the public worried about the volume of gambling advertising and its impact on children. There is now a strong case for more fundamental reform, including a new Gambling Act that reflects the realities of today’s digital and highly commercialised gambling environment. Ultimately, this is a question of priorities: to protect public health, in particular for children and young people; or to allow the continued expansion of a system that contributes to harm.

In summary, a famous gambling industry tagline is, “When the fun stops, stop.” I think that it is past time for us to acknowledge that gambling addiction is fun for no one, and exposure of our children to harmful, pernicious advertising from big gambling companies has to stop. I say to the Minister, there is no fun here; it is time to stop.