Online gambling chief calls for less advertising
News on 7 Oct 2018
News on 7 Oct 2018
The chief executive of major UK retail and online gambling group GVC Holdings, Kenny Alexander, has added his voice to calls for less advertising, opining to the newspaper City AM that the number of ads appearing during football games had got “out of hand”.
The GVC group comprises major betting companies like Ladbrokes Coral and Bwin, and Alexander said that he hoped that the rest of the industry would join his group in tightening up on advertising so that there was a level playing field for all operators.
“Most people in the gambling industry think there are far too many ads,” Alexander told City AM. “We should make the changes collaboratively with the rest of the industry, which might be difficult, and ultimately it’s up to the government to decide if they want to legislate or not.”
Alexander’s comments come on the heels of recent warnings by the Labour Party and the UK Gambling Commission that if the industry does not sort out the excessive advertising issue, outside intervention may be necessary to resolve the problem.
The UK media has also been pressuring for a reduction in the sheer volume of advertising targeting UK punters by operators in an intensely competitive industry.
A recent study by the Guardian newspaper showed that during June-July’s World Cup football, fans had to endure a bombardment of almost 90 minutes of betting advertisements.
Alexander also expressed concern about the impact on young people, noting:
“Particularly around the watershed, the most vulnerable to gambling are the younger generation. Those who can gamble as well as those can’t at the moment but will in a year or two are at risk.”
He suggested that if there was a will to address the problem across the industry, reductions in advertising could be achieved by the end of this year.
News on 7 Oct 2018
The chief executive of major UK retail and online gambling group GVC Holdings, Kenny Alexander, has added his voice to calls for less advertising, opining to the newspaper City AM that the number of ads appearing during football games had got “out of hand”.
The GVC group comprises major betting companies like Ladbrokes Coral and Bwin, and Alexander said that he hoped that the rest of the industry would join his group in tightening up on advertising so that there was a level playing field for all operators.
“Most people in the gambling industry think there are far too many ads,” Alexander told City AM. “We should make the changes collaboratively with the rest of the industry, which might be difficult, and ultimately it’s up to the government to decide if they want to legislate or not.”
Alexander’s comments come on the heels of recent warnings by the Labour Party and the UK Gambling Commission that if the industry does not sort out the excessive advertising issue, outside intervention may be necessary to resolve the problem.
The UK media has also been pressuring for a reduction in the sheer volume of advertising targeting UK punters by operators in an intensely competitive industry.
A recent study by the Guardian newspaper showed that during June-July’s World Cup football, fans had to endure a bombardment of almost 90 minutes of betting advertisements.
Alexander also expressed concern about the impact on young people, noting:
“Particularly around the watershed, the most vulnerable to gambling are the younger generation. Those who can gamble as well as those can’t at the moment but will in a year or two are at risk.”
He suggested that if there was a will to address the problem across the industry, reductions in advertising could be achieved by the end of this year.
