UK APPG backs petition to remove gambling advertising from football as pressure for tighter limits grows

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Gambling Reform has stepped up its push for tougher limits on gambling advertising, marketing and sponsorship, focusing on protecting children from betting promotions in football.

On Wednesday the group held several meetings bringing together members of parliament, peers, academics and campaigners to review new evidence and possible policy options. Representatives of the Coalition to End Gambling Ads (CEGA) and Clean Up Gambling attended, alongside former football professionals and campaigners who have long argued for stricter rules.

Afterwards, the APPG publicly endorsed CEGA's delivery of a petition to 10 Downing Street. The petition asks the government to remove gambling advertising from football entirely, stressing the need to shield young fans from betting imagery and sponsorship during matches.

The activity comes as scrutiny of the sector's advertising increases. The House of Lords Liaison Committee recently published a report recommending a comprehensive ban on all gambling advertising. The committee said robust evidence now links gambling advertising to higher participation and related harms. It placed particular emphasis on sponsorship and advertising with sports teams, arguing that voluntary industry efforts had not reduced exposure. The report quoted Dr Matt Gaskell MBE as saying that overall exposure during live sports programmes, including shirts, hoardings, logos, sponsorship and related marketing, does not show that self-regulation has meaningfully reduced it.

Earlier this year the APPG also published its own report with Peers for Gambling Reform, calling for a ban on gambling adverts before the 9pm watershed and a ban on sporting sponsorships. In the subsequent parliamentary debate, MPs described gambling advertising as a public health issue. Labour MP Alex Ballinger cited research showing thousands of gambling-related messages were visible over a single Premier League weekend, calling the saturation pervasive.

Conservative MP Charlie Dewhirst took a different view, pointing to the economic importance of gambling revenue for sport and broadcasting. He warned that severe restrictions could push customers toward unlicensed overseas operators and enlarge the black market.