Key points:
- The group wants to see similar restrictions to that seen in Ireland
- Letter references recent cross-border report by two universities
Stormont Assembly’s All-Party Group on Reducing Harm Relating to Gambling are pushing the UK Government to restrict gambling advertising in Northern Ireland.
This all-party group was established to address issues associated with gambling related harm in the community within Northern Ireland, made up of members consisting of party representatives from Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionist Party, the Alliance Party, the Democratic Unionist Party, and the Social Democratic and Labour Party.
The group has written a letter to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy, pointing towards the recently passed new legislation in Ireland, as well as to recent research which has been carried out on the subject of gambling advertising.
In Ireland, the long-awaited Gambling Regulation Bill was passed last month, which set out restrictions on gambling advertising such as a prohibition between 5.30am and 9pm, the establishment of Údarás Rialála Cearrbhachais na hÉireann, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, the banning of inducements, among other areas covered in the bill.
Good to know: In Ireland, the Gambling Regulatory Authority is expected to launch in phases by mid-2025
The letter references the advertising restrictions introduced recently in Ireland and the benefit it would bring to “Northern Ireland, Britain and Ireland, where British TV is widely watched,” if similar was introduced in Northern Ireland.
With this, the letter also states how the region “stands alone as the only jurisdiction on these islands without updated gambling legislation since the advent of the internet.”
Further to this, a recent cross-border report by Maynooth University in County Kildare, Ireland, and Ulster University was referenced, highlighting the exposure of gambling marketing which young people face from televised sports programmes and social media.
Though the group admits that “our Executive does not have sufficient legislative time in the current Assembly mandate to take forward a Gambling Bill,” it has said in the letter to Nandy “We urge you to use your existing powers to take immediate action to restrict the promotion of gambling in the UK and reduce the harm caused by gambling across these islands.”
In similar news today, the Australian Government has postponed plans to introduce restrictions on gambling advertising, with no timeline in place for progression.
