Town hall chiefs have welcomed tougher standards on gambling advertising aimed at reducing harm.
The Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) have introduced new measures to crack down on adverts aimed at problem gamblers, and promoting free bets and bonuses.
The new standards include restricting ads that create a sense of urgency, curbing the trivialisation of gambling and preventing undue emphasis on money-motives for gambling.
'Councils have previously called for greater restrictions on gambling advertising and we are pleased to see the steps taken by the Committees of Advertising Practice to address this,' said cllr Simon Blackburn, chair of the Local Government Association’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board.
'Urgent or time limited offers encouraging people to bet immediately, and misleading descriptions such as ‘risk free’, can be particularly harmful for problem gamblers, so it’s right that they should be stopped. However, there must still be consideration of whether more curbs are needed alongside this.'
The new standards will come into effect on 2 April 2018.
