Members of Northern Ireland’s Stormont Assembly are calling on the UK Government to introduce stricter controls on gambling advertising in the region, citing the lack of updated legislation as a critical concern. The appeal was made in a letter addressed to Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, by the All Party Group on Reducing Harm Relating to Gambling.
Sent during Safer Gambling Week, the letter highlighted that Northern Ireland remains the only part of the UK without modernized gambling laws despite the transformative impact of the internet. Philip McGuigan of Sinn Féin and Robbie Butler of the Ulster Unionist Party, who lead the group, highlighted the urgency of addressing the issue, as the current legislative term lacks sufficient time to pass new gambling regulations.
“Northern Ireland now stands alone as the only jurisdiction on these islands without updated gambling legislation since the advent of the internet,” the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) wrote. They warned that the region’s population, already experiencing the highest levels of gambling-related harm across the UK and Ireland, is at heightened risk due to the gap in regulation.
The lawmakers pointed to a recent cross-border study by Maynooth University and Ulster University, which found that young people across Ireland are exposed to “extremely high levels of gambling marketing” through televised sports and social media.
“You have the power under existing laws to prevent our children from being bombarded with gambling-related marketing during major sports broadcasts, such as Premier League matches, and prevent those already experiencing gambling harms from being targeted by gambling companies on social media,” the group said.
While gambling regulation is a devolved matter, the MLAs urged the UK Government to leverage its powers under the Gambling Act 2005 to restrict advertising that targets vulnerable populations. They noted the example set by Ireland, where recent legislation introduced sweeping restrictions on gambling advertisements, empowering the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland to regulate when and where such marketing can appear.
“Introducing restrictions similar to those in Ireland would have a profound benefit for Northern Ireland, Britain, and Ireland, where British TV is widely watched,” the MLAs added.
The lawmakers argued that while remote gambling operators licensed by the UK Gambling Commission can freely advertise in Northern Ireland, the region’s lack of updated laws leaves residents unprotected from the risks posed by aggressive marketing tactics.
They concluded by calling on Nandy to fulfill the government’s commitment to reducing gambling-related harm, stating: “Now is the time for you as Secretary of State to take positive steps towards restricting the promotion of gambling.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport confirmed that the letter has been received and that a formal response will follow.