Gambling adverts on UK TV have rocketed since government deregulation, according to Ofcom figures
The number of gambling adverts shown on TV has increased by more than 1,444 per cent since 2005, figures from Ofcom have revealed.
Figures: Gambling ads have significantly increased
The figures revealed that a combination of new digital channels since 2005 and the deregulation of the gambling sector, which came into force in 2007, has led to a substantial increase in ads, from 62,000 in 2005 to 1.4 million in 2012.
In addition, the figures showed that children were exposed to an average of 211 ads each month.
The introduction of the Gambling Act 2005, effective from 2007, paved the way for TV ads for sports betting, online casinos and poker in addition to the previously allowed ads for bingo, the National Lottery and football pools.
The news led a “shocked” Liberal Democrat MP Tessa Munt to call for a change in the law, and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice said it would consider the Ofcom figures closely.
Overall, gambling adverts make up four per cent of all UK TV adverts, compared to 1.7 per cent in 2005.