Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2021 to Question 134495 on Gambling: Advertising, for what reasons the depiction of a team football shirt which features the logo of a gambling operator is not considered advertising.

I refer to the answer to Question 140004. The government and the Gambling Commission have been clear that gambling operators must act responsibly during the Covid 19 period. Details of ministerial meetings are publicly available and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/search/transparency-and-freedom-of-information-releases?content_store_document_type=transparency&organisations%5B%5D=department-for-digital-culture-media-sport.

Gambling operators advertising in the UK must abide by the advertising codes issued by the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) and the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP). A wide-range of provisions in these codes are designed to protect children. For example, gambling adverts must not be targeted at children or feature content which appeals particularly to them. Sponsorship, as a form of commercial arrangement distinct from the purchase of media space to show or display advertising content, does not fall within scope of these codes. Further detail about the codes and their scope can be found at: https://www.asa.org.uk/codes-and-rulings/advertising-codes.html

Gambling operators providing facilities to consumers in Great Britain must be licensed by the Gambling Commission and abide by its licence conditions and codes of practice (LCCP), which require all marketing activities, including sponsorship, to be carried out in a socially responsible way. Specific restrictions on the placement of operator logos on merchandise designed for use by children are set out in the Gambling Industry Code for Socially Responsible Advertising.

The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8th December with the publication of a Call for Evidence. As part of the wide scope of that Review, we have called for evidence on the benefits or harms of allowing gambling operators to advertise and engage in sponsorship arrangements. In addition, CAP recently concluded a consultation on proposals to amend the advertising codes to further minimise the potential for gambling adverts to appeal to children, and is evaluating responses.