# UK peers demand tobacco-style gambling ad ban

> House of Lords report calls for sweeping restrictions on gambling advertising to protect millions struggling with addiction.
- Title: UK peers demand tobacco-style gambling ad ban · the Guardian
- Summary: House of Lords report calls for sweeping restrictions on gambling advertising to protect millions struggling with addiction. A cross-party group of UK peers…
- Keywords: house of lords, gambling advertising ban, uk gambling regulation, betting & gaming council, andy burnham, tony blair, gambling addiction, 2005 gambling act, advertising restrictions, public health, gambling harms, news
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/society/2026/sep/17/peers-call-for-uk-to-enact-tobacco-style-ban-gambling-advertising
- Published: 2026-09-17T06:00:42+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: house of lords, gambling advertising ban, uk gambling regulation, betting & gaming council, andy burnham, tony blair, gambling addiction, 2005 gambling act, advertising restrictions, public health, gambling harms, news
## Peers push for gambling ad ban
A cross-party House of Lords committee says the UK should ban almost all gambling advertising to protect public health, similar to tobacco restrictions.
## The scale of the problem
British bookmakers, casinos and slot machine venues won £12.6bn from customers last year, while up to 1.4 million people have a gambling problem.
## Why a ban would work
The report found a blanket advertising ban would be the most effective way to reduce harms like financial ruin, relationship breakdown and suicide.
## How we got here
The 2005 Gambling Act liberalised advertising and allowed the industry to grow. Annual advertising spend has since reached £2bn in 2024, up from near zero before.
## Industry fights back hard
The Betting & Gaming Council called the proposal deeply misguided, arguing a ban would help illegal operators who would continue advertising without restrictions.

> A blanket advertising ban would remove a key competitive advantage of being licensed and regulated while doing nothing to stop illegal operators targeting British consumers.
## Political momentum building
Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, has pushed to give councils power to block betting shops and wants to end gambling sponsorship of sport.
## Key takeaway

A cross-party group of UK peers is pushing for a near-total ban on gambling advertising, similar to tobacco restrictions, arguing it's the most effective way to reduce harms from an industry that won £12.6bn last year.