UK politician calls for bans on advertising, credit cards and sponsorship in gambling

Virulently anti-gambling politician and UK Labour Party deputy leader, Tom Watson has managed to grab the media spotlight again this week with a rant against gambling, calling for a “whistle to whistle” ban on gambling advertising during live sporting events; a threat to stop the use of credit cards in gambling if Labour returns to national government; and a call for Premier League football clubs to halt gambling sponsorship deals or have it done for them, should a Labour government come to power.

Watson described problem gambling in the UK as a “national emergency” and suggested that gambling operators be forced to pay an additional 1 percent of GGR levy for the treatment of such persons.

“Current gambling regulation is not up to the job of protecting addicts and those at risk of addiction,” Watson claimed. “Gambling companies have to take more responsibility for harm caused by their products and contribute more to research and treatment.

The other side of the House was unimpressed, with Conservative Party vice chairman for policy, Chris Skidmore, commenting:

“Labour liberalised the gambling market when they were in power, and have admitted that they were wrong.

“We are correcting Labour’s mistakes – ensuring tighter rules on gambling advertising, increasing protections around online gambling, launching a multi-million pound awareness campaign, commissioning research on the harms of problem gambling, and slashing the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals, which were introduced under Labour.”

SkyBet boss Richard Flint welcomed the idea of a levy, but said banning advertising and credit card payments would not work.