GambleAware Calls for Ban on Influencer Gambling Ads to Protect Children
UK charity GambleAware has urged the government to modernize digital marketing rules for gambling, warning that today’s regulations fail to protect children from excessive exposure online. The call follows a newly published report examining whether current safeguards are suited to the digital age.
Outdated Framework Failing to Keep Pace with Digital Media
GambleAware’s latest report, ‘Online gambling: Are current regulations fit for the digital age’, outlines the charity’s core concern: the extensive exposure of minors to gambling content online. Despite gambling being an age-restricted activity, the report highlights that children are encountering advertising before they are capable of “critically evaluat[ing] it and understand[ing] the risks that come with it.”
This exposure, according to GambleAware, contributes to gambling being presented as “risk-free” and becoming normalised, which heightens the potential for gambling-related harm among the young population. The report specifically flags the rise in gambling adverts on streaming services and social media platforms, which are highly popular among children.
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The urgency for change is supported by existing data. The Gambling Commission’s ‘Young People and Gambling 2024’ report indicated that an estimated 85,000 11-17-year-olds in the UK experience problems with gambling. Furthermore, 62% of children reported seeing gambling advertisements online, with over half of that group seeing social media ads weekly. A significant majority of children exposed to these ads stated that the marketing made gambling seem fun (76%) and, worryingly, “harmless or risk-free” (73%).
What Changes Is GambleAware Proposing?
Instead of calling for a complete ban on online gambling advertising, the charity proposes a stricter regulatory framework. It suggests stronger mandatory messaging on every digital touchpoint, including clear safety warnings and signposting to support services.
It also urges the government to consider restrictions on online promotion of high-risk gambling products such as slots and casino games. The charity recommends banning the use of influencers, celebrities and tipsters in gambling marketing and tightening targeting rules so ads can only directly reach verified adults aged 25 and over.
Further proposals include curbing inducement-based marketing and limiting promotional content in digital spaces widely used by children. The report argues these protections are necessary to stop harmful advertising from reaching vulnerable audiences.
GambleAware highlights widespread public and political backing for stronger standards. According to public surveys referenced in the document, almost 80% of children and 74% of UK adults want tougher rules on gambling advertising on social media. Campaign groups have also reported overwhelming support for removing gambling content from platforms popular with young people.
GambleAware Transition CEO Calls for Change
GambleAware Transition CEO Anna Hargrave stressed that changes must be implemented to prevent long-term harm. She warned that operators invest heavily in digital marketing because it effectively drives increased gambling activity – including among those too young to understand the risks. Hargrave said:
“Gambling operators invest significant resources into online marketing because it works at getting people to gamble more. This has resulted in children and young people being exposed to gambling content online before an age at which they can critically evaluate it and understand the risks that come with it.”
“The current regulations covering gambling marketing and advertising online were designed before most children had easy access to the internet. Urgent action is needed to update these rules and bring them into the digital age to help keep children and young people safe from gambling harm.”
A Turning Point for UK Gambling Regulation
GambleAware is undergoing a transition ahead of a government-led statutory levy replacing its funding model by March 2026. The charity says its latest findings must guide future online advertising regulation to protect vulnerable groups, with children at the forefront.
The government is currently reviewing responses to the Gambling Act white paper and is expected to consider several of GambleAware’s recommendations in upcoming legislative proposals.
