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  • Writer's pictureRyan Evans

EXCLUSIVE: "Nothing finalised" in TV ad ban

A spokesperson for William Hill has said that nothing has been finalised in relation to a whistle to whistle ban on gambling advertising.


The BBC reported yesterday (Thursday) that members of the Remote Gambling Association had made a deal to stop betting adverts during live sports broadcasts.


However, Rupert Adams, who spoke as part of the High Stakes documentary, said he was "pretty certain" that the ban would go ahead, but the details weren't confirmed.


You can see what he said here:


The ban will apply to all sports broadcasts before the 9pm watershed, and crucially to those that start before 9pm but finish afterwards.


Horse Racing is given an exemption because of the "commercial importance of gambling on its viability".


However, the ban does not apply to advertisement hoardings or sponsorships.



Nine out of 20 Premier League teams and 17 out of 24 Championship sides have gambling companies as their main shirt sponsor, whilst Brighton & Hove Albion are the only Premier League club to not have a partnership with a gambling company.


There has been mounting political pressure on gambling companies to take action after research showed that 62 out of 66 commercial breaks contained at least one betting advert during this summer's World Cup.


And research carried out between early October and mid November as part of this documentary has found that across ten Premier League and Championship matches broadcast on Sky Sports, every commercial break contained a gambling ad.


17.1% of all adverts 'spots' were from bookmakers, with Paddy Power having the most at 15 ads.


They were followed by Bet365 with 11, and six companies, including William Hill, with 10.


Rupert believes that the ban will go further in time, and said it was "impossible to say" what the impact of the ban would be on betting companies, estimating that William Hill spend in the region of £20 million on pre-watershed betting commercials.


Speaking to the High Stakes documentary, Terry White, a former gambling addict that has previously worked in betting shops, said: "My view is that adverts come in two types, one that merely promotes betting companies in general, which I find acceptable.


"But the other type is the most dangerous, the in-play enticement style advert.


"They are very specifically targeting people to bet in that half-time window and often with enhanced odds to further dangle the carrot."


You can hear more from Terry and Rupert in the High Stakes documentary, coming soon. To stay up to date with the progress, stay tuned to this page and follow @HighStakesDoc on Twitter.

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