BGC members reach new agreement
After voluntarily stopping all adverts during COVID-19, members of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) have agreed to dedicate 20% of future TV, radio, and online advertising to safer gambling information.
BGC CEO Michael Dugher announced on Friday that April’s agreement to stop all gambling adverts – including replacing booked slots with safe gambling messages – was due to end. He added that council members will still carry on the scheme in a smaller capacity. This will see UK operators dedicating a fifth of their advertising budgets to promoting safer gambling awareness.
The same announcement appeared on the BGC’s official Twitter account on Monday morning:
Highest possible ad standards
In his message on the PoliticsHome website, Dugher, who was former Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, outlined that the council wanted its members to continue to advertise at the highest possible standards.
With COVID-19 lockdown enforced for more than two months and people in the UK confined to their homes for the duration, operators decided at the time to dedicate 100% of pre-booked adverts to promoting safer gambling or to donate to charity. The measures have now changed following the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions.
Additional regulatory measures
Dugher said the BGC is also developing a Code on Sponsorship to help operators apply safer gambling principles when developing sponsorship proposals. It comes alongside a new emphasis on age identification, including educating parents to ensure that their children are using sufficient filters that restrict gambling content.
default 25+ rule for all online advertising
Additionally, BGC members are voluntarily introducing a default 25+ rule for all online advertising where an operator cannot confidently ascertain that a customer is over 18. The council is also working in combination with major online platforms to create an industry-wide list of negative search terms that would steer children or vulnerable customers away from gambling marketing.
The return of sporting activity
Dugher also acknowledged that the return of horse racing, snooker, greyhound races, and live sport will lead to an influx of online sports betting. He called for responsible advertising to be at the heart of resumed sporting events.
responsible advertising to be at the heart of resumed sporting events
He said: “In the coming weeks and months, millions of us will fancy a flutter – whether that’s on Royal Ascot or a bet on the Merseyside derby – and the vast majority will do so happily and safely. The BGC is determined that every possible step is taken to make sure that continues to be the case.”
Dugher also outlined the differences between online advertising in gambling. For instance, he said the National Lottery had no restrictions when it came to advertising its services. BGC’s CEO has previously called on the UK lottery, currently run by Camelot but up for tender, to enact advertising measures similar to the council’s.