There has been an increasing amount of pressure on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to bring in a blackout on gambling advertising across the Transport for London network.
It was one of Khan’s 2021 manifesto commitments and pressure has intensified for it to be fulfilled after demands from London Assembly Health Committee (LAHC), which has highlighted the need for Londoners to understand the severity of problem gambling in the capital.
The Health Committee’s motivation stems from concerns that “London’s rate of ‘problem gambling’ is almost double the average seen across Britain.”
The demand arises from a two-part investigation conducted by the LAHC, taking feedback from individuals with lived experience of gambling harms, key public health figures and charities.
Significantly ahead of an election period, the London Mayor’s office has been notified of substantial public support for a total ban on gambling advertisements on the TfL network.
LAHC Chair, Dr Onkar Sahota AM, stated: “The Committee does not view the current evidence base as a prohibiting factor in introducing advertising restrictions.
“The Mayor’s 2021 manifesto pledged to ban ‘harmful gambling advertisements’ across the TfL network. The Committee understands that this has not been implemented, as there is no definitive definition of harmful gambling, with a definition from the Government pending. Nevertheless, the Committee believes the Mayor should advance proposals for such a ban.”
