This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48052226
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Betting giants pledge sports ad bans | Betting giants pledge sports ad bans |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Two UK betting giants have said they will change how they advertise as part of a move to fight problem gambling. | Two UK betting giants have said they will change how they advertise as part of a move to fight problem gambling. |
| GVC, which owns Ladbrokes, Coral and Gala, and William Hill say they are stopping football shirt sponsorship. GVC is also stopping perimeter adverts. | |
| From August, the industry will also end advertising during most live sport. | From August, the industry will also end advertising during most live sport. |
| It comes as the Gambling Commission launches its National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms after 10 weeks consultation. | It comes as the Gambling Commission launches its National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms after 10 weeks consultation. |
| The three-year strategy will coordinate work by health bodies, charities, regulators and businesses to reduce gambling harms. | The three-year strategy will coordinate work by health bodies, charities, regulators and businesses to reduce gambling harms. |
| The Commission estimates that about 430,000 people are experiencing problems with gambling. | The Commission estimates that about 430,000 people are experiencing problems with gambling. |
| However, the betting companies have been coming under increasing pressure from anti-gambling campaigners and the government to curb problem gambling. | |
| Bookmakers Paddy Power and Betfred both pulled new high stakes roulette-style games after a warning from the Gambling Commission. | |
| Last year William Hill was hit with a £6.2m penalty package for breaching anti-money-laundering and social responsibility regulations. | |
| Meanwhile profits have been squeezed as the government forced gambling companies to lower the maximum stake that can be played on their highly lucrative fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) from £100 to £2. | |
| GVC has pledged to increase investment in its research, education and treatment programmes to 1% of its UK gross gambling revenue over the next three years and to boost its charitable contributions to fund treatment of problem gambling. | |
| William Hill launched its "Nobody Harmed" programme to help prevent problem gambling and appointed a group director of strategy and sustainability, Lyndsay Wright, to lead it. | |
| Philip Bowcock, chief executive of William Hill, wrote in the Daily Telegraph that switching off customers from its gambling systems for safer gambling reasons had cost it an estimated £17m. | Philip Bowcock, chief executive of William Hill, wrote in the Daily Telegraph that switching off customers from its gambling systems for safer gambling reasons had cost it an estimated £17m. |
| He wrote that he believed the company should continue to tackle problem gambling: "If that means taking some short-term commercial hits, so be it. Our future relies on customers who enjoy gambling and stay gambling with us for the long term - and that is dependent on them being safe." | He wrote that he believed the company should continue to tackle problem gambling: "If that means taking some short-term commercial hits, so be it. Our future relies on customers who enjoy gambling and stay gambling with us for the long term - and that is dependent on them being safe." |