SBC News BGC lauds success of whistle to whistle ban

BGC lauds success of whistle to whistle ban

The Betting and Gaming Council has praised the ‘success of the whistle to whistle ban’ after data has shown a significant reduction in the number of TV gambling ads seen by children

Research carried out by Enders Analysis found that during the whistle to whistle period, the number of betting ads seen by children fell by 97%.

Under the ban, which was introduced on 1 August 2019, betting adverts must not be shown on TV from five minutes before a live sporting event begins until five minutes after it ends, prior to the 9pm watershed.

Michael Dugher, chief executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, stated: “The BGC was set up to improve standards in our industry.

“The success of the whistle to whistle ban is a clear example of that commitment and I’m very pleased at how effective it has been during its first year in operation. In particular, it’s encouraging to see that it has effectively eliminated children’s ability to view betting adverts during live televised sport.”

The study also found that the number of gambling ads viewed by youngsters has fallen by 70% over the full duration of live sport programmes.

Over the first five months of the ban, there was a 1.7 billion reduction in the number of views of betting ads. Total gambling advertising exposure during live sport before 9pm also declined by 78%.

The BGC also stated that it is working on a new code of conduct for sponsorship and advertising that will further improve standards.

Dugher added: “I am determined that the BGC will lead a race to the top in terms of industry standards and we want to drive more changes in the future.

“At the same time, we urge the Government to work with us to crack down on black market operators who have no interest in safer gambling or protecting their customers and do not work to the same responsible standards as BGC members.

“The Review of the Gambling Act will also provide further opportunities to improve standards and we look forward to working with the Government on this.”

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