The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) is calling on social media to take new measures and strengthen collaboration to reduce the visibility of gambling advertising to young people and at-risk groups on social media platforms.
In a letter to the UK Minister of Culture, Lucy Fraser, BGC’s Chief Executive Officer Michael Dugher is demanding to increase the pressure on social media platforms to further engage with the industry and help limit the negative impact of gambling on young people and people at risk of suffering from the gambling addiction.
Dugher noted that while such platforms allow people to opt out of gambling ads, more needs to be done, especially to help those who avoid gambling of their own free will.
A ‘marketing suppression scheme’ has been introduced that will prevent direct advertising to GAMSTOP’s 300,000 registered users, while the BGC is also seeking to limit advertising that reaches certain age groups.
The BGC noted that their members are already taking steps to ensure that online gambling ads are only visible to individuals who are legally allowed to gamble, including targeting ads to individuals over 25 years of age.
The authority stressed that gambling companies are only allowed to target ads to people over 18 if they can verify the accuracy of their targeting. In addition, football clubs are prohibited from using social media platforms to directly advertise gambling.
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