UK To Ban Sports Stars From Gambling Ads

Gambling and betting companies will be banned from using sports personalities within advertising, under new rules designed to protect under-18s and other vulnerable groups. This will also include reality and social media stars.

The new set of rules set out by the Committee of Advertising Practice, the body responsible for the UK code for advertising, also includes a ban on showing specific teams’ football kits and stadiums in adverts, as well as using video game content and gameplay popular with under-18s. The rules will come into force from October, in the run up to the Word Cup in Qatar.

High-profile betting companies have utilised sports stars within their television and social media advertising for many years. Cristiano Ronaldo, José Mourinho, Michael Owen and Harry Redknapp have all appeared in adverts that will no longer be allowed in the UK.

Under the current rules, an advert is banned if it is likely to appeal more to an under-18 than to an adult. Under the new rules, it will be banned if it is “likely to be of strong appeal to children or young persons, especially by reflecting or being associated with youth culture”, regardless of how it may be viewed by adults.

The Director of the Committee of Advertising Practice, Shahriar Coupal, said, “No more top-flight footballers or other high-profile sportspeople promoting the latest odds. No more social media influencers, TV stars or other celebrities popular with children inviting us to bet on red. And, no more gambling ads featuring video game images or gameplay familiar to many children’s lives.

“This might not seem immediately significant but its effect – particularly in a World Cup year – will be dramatic. By ending these practices, our new rules invite a new era for gambling ads, more particular to the adult audience they can target and more befitting of the age-restricted product they’re promoting.”

The Advertising Standards Authority, the body that enforces the UK ad code, does not have the power to regulate team sponsors.

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