One match, over 5,000 gambling ads - is 'ban' really working?

There were complete 5,000 visible gambling advertisements during a caller Premier League lucifer contempt a prohibition that was expected to consequence successful a reduction, researchers found.

New study from nan University of Bristol, external revealed location were 5,262 instances of gambling advertizing during sum of Manchester City's 4-0 triumph complete Wolves connected 16 August.

Of nan advertizing messages connected show, immoderate 91% were visible during unrecorded play, pinch only 9% coming successful pre-match and post-match coverage, making it nan fixture pinch nan highest number of visible in-play gambling ads since nan investigation was first conducted successful 2023.

A 2019 statement by gambling companies for a self-regulated 'whistle-to-whistle ban' intends TV betting adverts are not shown betwixt 5 minutes earlier kick-off and 5 minutes aft full-time.

But nan 'ban' ends astatine 9pm and does not screen different forms of visible advertizing specified arsenic garment sponsorships, pitchside hoardings and logos connected stadium structures, which person each accrued successful caller years.

In nan opening information of games of this Premier League play investigation recovered location were 13,200 gambling messages successful nan UK during nan whistle-to-whistle prohibition play alone, an summation of 32% connected nan erstwhile year.

"This level of gambling advertizing during nan Premier League's first play is frankly astonishing," said Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, chair of nan Gambling Reform All Party Parliamentary Group.

"The manufacture claimed it was taking steps to self-regulate and trim advertising, but yet again they person not kept to their word. The whistle-to-whistle prohibition is acold excessively constricted and is ineffective."

Overall, location were 27,440 gambling messages measured crossed nan full opening weekend, a flimsy alteration from past twelvemonth but still much than triple nan tally from 2023.

The full is recovered by adding together each individual lawsuit of gambling messaging from unrecorded lucifer coverage, positive output connected TalkSport, Sky Sports News and immoderate societal media channels.

There person been increasing calls for a ban connected gambling advertising, akin to nan 2002 prohibition connected baccy promotion, and successful 2023 nan Gambling Commission recommended nan authorities should limit nan magnitude and wave of gambling ads promoted wrong elite sports venues.

Lord Foster of Bath, chair of Peers for Gambling Reform, said: "The authorities must simply measurement successful to trim people's and peculiarly children's vulnerability to gambling advertizing that we cognize tin lead to harm. The authorities has each nan powers it needs to protect group and it must do truthful now."

A spokesperson for nan Department of Culture, Media and Sport told nan BBC: "The authorities recognises that much activity needs to beryllium done to guarantee that gambling advertizing is appropriate, responsible, and does not exacerbate harm.

"We are consulting a wide scope of grounds to pass our adjacent steps successful this abstraction and moving pinch manufacture to further raise standards."

The Premier League did not supply a comment.

The University of Bristol's study said location were 2,412 advertizing messages for 13 gambling companies pinch nary licence to run successful nan UK.

A number of Premier League clubs are sponsored by gambling companies who connection nary services successful nan UK, alternatively utilizing nan competition's world fame to target customers successful different territories, astir often China.

But advertizing for companies operating successful different territories tin still enactment arsenic a trigger to stake for group successful nan UK, if nan sanction and logo is recognisable arsenic gambling promotion.

Last week, nan Gambling Commission's yearly study estimated up to 1.4 cardinal adults successful nan UK, external person a gambling problem.

"The Premier League is now truthful saturated pinch gambling trading that brands are fighting each different for each inch of advertizing space," said Dr Raffaello Rossi, portion of nan investigation team.

"The grounds is now overwhelming - self-regulation has failed. Voluntary codes are protecting profits, not fans."

Premier League clubs person pledged to present a ban connected front-of-shirt gambling sponsorships from adjacent play onwards, but immoderate are concerned nan move is starring to a displacement successful nan ways gambling companies take to advertise successful football, alternatively than a reduction.

Duncan Smith, nan erstwhile Conservative leader, said: "The committedness to trim beforehand of garment logos is simply a tokenistic motion while nan regulators look incapable of having immoderate effect aliases decently protecting consumers."