The Guardian Media Group has revealed its decision to eliminate all forms of gambling advertisements across its various platforms, with the sole exception being lottery advertising. The policy, effective from June 15, spans the group’s digital and physical media outlets, including their websites, mobile apps, newsletters, audio and video content, as well as print advertisements in The Guardian and The Observer newspapers and The Guardian Weekly.
This implies that banners advertising UK real money casinos or betting deals will no longer be visible on The Guardian’s platforms. Additionally, referral links to live odds during popular horse racing and football events might cease to appear in live blog reports.
Multiple factors influenced the decision, such as The Guardian’s report revealing approximately $25bn (£19.7bn/€23bn) lost to gambling each year. Other considerations include the Premier League’s commitment to ban gambling company sponsorships and Australia’s impending prohibition of using credit cards for online betting. However, due to the “nature of lotteries”, they remain exempt from the ban.
SEO consultant Julia Logan believes The Guardian’s policy sets an intriguing precedent, raising questions about the future of gambling advertising. She questioned whether this move would pressure other media houses to rethink their stance on gambling content or trigger regulatory steps limiting media involvement with gambling affiliates.
The UK government’s Gambling White Paper also features measures to tackle gambling addiction, such as stake limits and a levy on operators to fund treatment for gambling addiction. We are an affiliate website Britishgambler.co.uk express support for these measures and the effort to develop a regulatory system fit for the digital age.
Despite the increasing concerns about gambling addiction, statistics reveal that the UK online gaming market is significant, with £6.4 billion GGY recorded in 2022. However, this represented a decrease from the £6.9 billion GGY in 2021, likely due to the lifting of pandemic restrictions. This trend could potentially be influenced further by The Guardian’s pioneering advertising ban.
Exposure to Gambling Advertisements and Sponsorships in the UK Shows Slight Decline
Regarding the expenditure of the UK gambling industry on advertising: Exposure to Gambling Advertisements and Sponsorships
A significant majority, 85%, of people have been exposed to gambling advertisements or sponsorships at some point, with 83% seeing advertisements and 78% noticing sponsorships. This is slightly lower than in 2019, when 87% of people reported having seen either gambling advertisements (86%) or sponsorships (82%).