Gambling Advertising to be Allowed in the United Kingdom

17.04.2007

In the latest move by the British government to regulate its gambling industry, authorities recently stated that by September 2007, gambling advertisements would be allowed on the airwaves. The country’s new gambling laws were effectively launched in 2005 in a bid to control the industry but also to give greater freedom to gambling establishments within the country’s borders.

From September, it will be quite legal for casinos – both online and traditional – to advertise on English radios. However, in line with the new regulation policies, the advertisements need to adhere to strict criteria before they can be approved for broadcasting. For example, the ads cannot condone any behavior that is deemed socially irresponsible. They cannot claim that players will become instant millionaires by gambling at a casino and they obviously cannot use sexually explicit messages to sell their wares.

In addition, the new advertisements should not target the United Kingdom’s younger sect. Actors used in these ads should not appear to be younger than 25 years of age and the ads should not be associated with anything to do with youth culture. This is in line with the British Gambling Commission’s policy to control underage gambling and make sure that youngsters do not see gambling as ‘hip’ and ‘cool’.

This latest announcement by the British government comes almost parallel to the new laws being put into practice on the other side of the ocean in the United States. While the United Kingdom is seeking regulation because it feels that this is the only way to control a growing industry, the United States is choosing a policy that has – unfortunately – shown to be a failure in past history: Prohibition. The United States is coming down hard on online gambling sites and has passed a law prohibiting US financial institutions from transferring money to these sites. This new law (known as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) is over and above the individual state laws that limit or prohibit gambling at varying degrees.

The United Kingdom feels, on the other hand, that regulation of its gambling industry will not only bring in a good amount in taxes each year for the country’s coffers, but it will also give the government control over an industry that could become shady and crime-ridden if not regulated. By monitoring its gambling industry and forcing gambling establishments to follow strict guidelines before they can be issued a license, the United Kingdom hopes to do away with underage gambling, limit gambling addiction and eliminate the gray areas of the law that are sometimes associated with the industry.

Time will tell which country is right in its approach to gambling – the U.K as a regulator or the USA as a prohibitor. If history books teach us anything, the odds are that Prohibition will not work very well and in the end the United States will be forced to accept the fact that online gambling will not simply disappear from its borders.