The focus on the dangers of gambling advertising on young people has grown in the gambling world in recent months, and the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has warned operators of the risks presented by their advertising.Neil McArthur, who has been CEO of the UKGC since Sarah Harrison stepped down in April (2018) spoke directly to the executives of gambling companies at a conference which saw 170 executives from 100 operators attend.
Significant challenge
McArthur spoke of the “significant challenge” facing bookmakers who need to handle the possible negative impact of gambling addiction on young people.McArthur called for increased responsibility when it comes to the protection of customers and the prevention of gambling related harm.
Call to action
In his keynote speech, McArthur said:“This is a call to action to join the race to the top.“A race to put your customers, their enjoyment and their safety at the top of the agenda for your management meetings, your board meetings and meetings with your investors.“A race to approach the minimum requirements we impose as exactly that: minimums not maximums. A race to look for real solutions to the public health issue of gambling-related harm.”Guy Parker, Chief Executive of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) added:“The existing rules that regulate the content and targeting of gambling advertising are working effectively, but there is public concern about the timing and quantity. Today’s Gambling Commission conference is a great opportunity for gambling firms to discuss how those concerns might be addressed.”George Lusty, Senior Director for Customer Protection at CMA, also spoke of the issues, saying:“We’ve seen gambling operators making changes to promotions and withdrawal practices, and this is a great start, but it’s only one aspect of achieving compliance and clearly much more needs to be done by the sector to win back customer trust.”