By 
In the wake of the recent decision to reduce the maximum stake on FOBTs to £2, and the announcement that the Culture Department would be leading an investigation into whether the age limit for National Lottery play should be raised to 18, a cross-party group of MPs has called for stricter regulation on gambling advertising.
Social responsibility
The open letter to Culture Secretary Matthew Hancock, which came from a group of MPs that includes Labour’s Tom Watson, a long time critic of the gambling industry, and former Conservative minister John Hayes, states that gambling must be treated as a public health issue, suggesting the regulation of gambling should be restricted and regulated in the same way as tobacco advertising.The group also calls for the referring of gambling as ‘fun’ should be stopped to prevent young people from becoming interested in gambling.The group also called for a ban on advertising gambling during sporting events, and moving all gambling based advertising to after the watershed, again, to prevent vulnerable young people.
Huge spending
According to a report from GambleAware, £1.4 billion has been spent on gambling advertising in total since 2012, and saw a 97% increase in gambling adverts in recent years.A 2017 report also found that 20% of all commercials aired during sporting events were for gambling operators, and the numbers during one game reaching 40%.The number of over-16s who have developed a gambling addiction in the last three years has risen by a third, and this is what has led MPs to contact the Culture Secretary and request a tightening of the regulations on gambling advertising.With three big news stories associated with gambling ethics and problem gambling in recent weeks, this discussion looks set to continue for many years.