Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, has revealed that the total number of gambling advertisement spots shown on television in the UK last year reached nearly 1.4m, accounting for more than 3 per cent of all advertising seen by adult viewers.
Ofcom commissioned the analysis earlier this year to look at the volume, scheduling, frequency and exposure of gambling advertising on UK television.
Supporting its role in monitoring and understanding the markets it regulates, Ofcom initiated the research to help inform it about how television gambling advertising has changed since the market was liberalised by Parliament in 2007.
Gambling on television was permitted following the Gambling Act 2005, which came into force on September 1st 2007. Prior to this, the only gambling advertising that was permitted on television was for football pools, bingo premises and the National Lottery.
