#gambling-advertising

#gambling-advertising

Khan said during his 2021 mayoral election campaign that he would order Transport for London (TfL) to extend a ban on junk food ads to cover online casinos and bookmakers as well, citing the devastating impact of addiction. Yet the mayor's office has yet to make good on the manifesto promise, blaming a lack of guidance from central government on the links between gambling adverts and harm. In the meantime, the number of gambling ads has increased, including a campaign for the online casino 888 that had to be withdrawn amid an outcry about its flippant tone.

Earlier this year, during the college basketball event known as March Madness, the biggest sports gambling apps were lighting up Eden Iscil's phone with notifications. From sunrise to late evening, they kept inviting him to wager on games, players, and teams. But the apps didn't know that Iscil wasn't actually interested in placing bets or winning money. In fact, Iscil isn't a "sports person" and had never gambled on sports before downloading the FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM apps.