Ever since technology has advanced and online casinos have come onto the scene, it has become an extremely popular activity to go to gambling sites to play a great casino game as opposed to traditional brick and mortar casinos.
In fact, this trend has sparked a commotion around the rules and regulations around gambling and in particular radio adverts. As there remains a lot of vagueness and discrepancies surrounding the laws around adverts for the gambling industry in areas like the UK, it is important to understand them in order to follow them correctly.
Gambling Advertising Laws in the UK
Firstly, there are a myriad of rules and laws around advert for the gambling industry in the UK. 90% of the UK’s gaming and betting industry is represented by the BGC, better known as the Betting and Gaming Council and its Code of Conduct demands adherence to an Industry Code for Socially Responsible Advertising.
A part of this is enforcing advertising codes such as Chapter 17 of the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising (BCAP) which pertains to all adverts and programme sponsorship credits on radio and television. This means that all UK TV and radio advertisements must adhere with this BCAP code which goes hand in hand with the law, ensuring that all ads are legal, decent, honest, and truthful.
These laws are enforced for a number of reasons including to ensure that the advertisements do not condone or encourage irresponsible gambling behavior that could potentially be financially, socially or emotionally harmful. They are also created to protect those who are vulnerable in society such as children from thinking that gambling will be a solution to their problems.
Rules and regulations around gambling advertisements are also integral to disseminating any notion that gambling is for all age groups or linked to provocative behavior of any kind. Although the rules and regulations surrounding gambling can seem overwhelming at times, they are only put in place for the safety of those who want to have a positive gambling experience. For those who are interested in online gambling there is a recently updated list on all of those casinos that respect the laws that are in place and are safe to play at.
Furthermore, in the United Kingdom, gambling advertisements are regulated by the Gambling Commission. The Commission has a number of rules and regulations in place that govern how gambling ads can be broadcast on radio channels. One of these important rules is that gambling advertisements can only be broadcast during particular, set time slots.
This specific rule is set in place to minimize the exposure that gambling advertisements have on young people who may in turn be influenced by them. In the UK in particular, there is a lot of money spent by gambling companies on advertising such as radio advertising in order to attract more players.
Future of gambling adverts
Currently, there are no plans from the UK government to ban gambling ads on UK radio stations which should mean that plenty of people will get to hear about what sites they could visit. However, the government is also planning on taking steps to introduce drastic changes to how these ads can be broadcast.
There are also plans to decrease the number of gambling ads that can be aired on any given day. This would mean that stations must choose which adverts they want to play more carefully. These changes are not yet confirmed but it gives us a clear indication about how serious the UK government is about gambling rules and regulations. However, as long as these radio adverts are not irresponsible or harmful, their future should not be jeopardized just yet and they will continue to attract more people.
It is also important to note that these laws and rules change depending on the destination. Whilst the UK has its own set of rules and regulations, other areas might be more or less strict than this region. For example, in 2018, Belgium moved forward with its own legislation banning gambling advertisements. The region had this planned for many years before enforcing it and their justifications for doing were to continue to enhance the ethical standards of advertising like they had done with cigarettes and alcohol.
As of 2023, there is a complete ban of gambling advertisements here meaning that online casino operators are forbidden from promoting their services. In many ways, when a casino fan in Belgium wants to visit an online casino, they won’t really be influenced by any external sources and will instead have to rely on word of mouth or their own preferences when choosing one. The only method of advertising for online casino operators would be to promote their games on websites that permit the exploration of those types of games. It is hoped that these strict guidelines will dissuade excessive gambling and safeguard those with addictions.
In summary, gambling is one of the most successful and profitable industries in the globe. This trend is set to continue well into the future, as more and more people are interested in playing fun, thrilling casino games. With the popularity of gambling increasing, governments for countries are in turn enforcing new legislating that restricts, limits, or forbids advertisements for casinos and gambling. Although it can be frustrating to learn what you are permitted to do in terms of gambling, if you do your research gambling can be a fun and positive experience. So why not go online today to see for yourself?