GVC Holdings, the owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, has called upon their competition in the industry to support their campaign for an almost blanket ban on TV advertising in the UK.
The firm recently announced the launch of their ‘Changing for the Bettor’ campaign which aims to promote safer, responsible gambling, and as part of the move the group wants to see a complete blackout on sports betting adverts on the telly at all times of the day – apart from horse racing, which takes a cut of all betting revenue in the UK.
GVC wants all adverts banned that don’t specifically promote responsible gaming, and even then that content would be limited to one message per commercial break.
An ad ban has already been agreed for the next football season which starts in August, with all TV adverts banned prior to the watershed when matches are being broadcast.
But the head honchos of the Ladbrokes Coral merger want the industry to press on with an even wider blackout. GVC’s chief executive, Kenny Alexander, said:
“Whilst the vast majority of our customers enjoy our products responsibly, it is high time that the industry did more to protect its customers from potential harm.
“I call on our industry peers to help us bring about an end to broadcast advertising, which promotes sports betting in the UK no matter the time of day.”
No Ball Games Under GVC Plans
There’s no doubting that sports betting firms are almost ubiquitous in football these days, whether it’s the bookies on the concourse inside stadiums, pitch side hoarding ads and sponsorships on replica shirts.
And GVC want to bring this to an end too.
They have put their money where their mouth is too, having recently announced that they will cease all short sponsorship deals with UK based teams at the ed of their current contracts.
Away from the pitch, GVC has also committed to investing heavily in the research, education and treatment of problem gambling from the current 0.2% of gross revenue with an increase to 1% by 2022, and the GamBan software – which alerts individuals who are showcasing signs of problem gambling behaviour – will be made available for free.
As Alexander himself confirmed:
“Increasing investment in research, education and treatment tenfold by 2022, funding treatment centres and using technology to intervene before a problem develops, alongside our existing behavioural analytics, brings to life our commitment to be the most trusted and enjoyable betting operator in the world.
“The industry should and can do more to protect the vulnerable, and today’s announcement demonstrates GVC’s commitment to delivering on that.”
The latest moves of GVC Holdings have been applauded by the Senet Group, a independent organisation that promotes responsible gambling ad socially-responsible advertising within the industry.
Their chairwoman, Gillian Wilmot, said:
“It’s increasingly clear that leading UK gambling companies are determined to address society’s concerns about the industry’s values and conduct. Today’s announcement is a big step forward.”