Labour ministers are under pressure to overturn the previous government’s “bizarre” decision not to impose stricter regulation on gambling advertising, particularly around sport, from politicians, campaigners and figures from the world of football.
At a summit held close to the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, a succession of experts called on the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, to impose much stricter controls on how gambling is marketed, in order to protect children and vulnerable people.
Tony Blair’s government revised Britain’s gambling laws in 2005, removing restrictions on advertising just before the invention of the smartphone effectively put a casino in every pocket.
