The 44-page study, Online Gambling Marketing in the Digital Age (October 2025), reveals that online gambling ad regulations created long before smartphones are now amplifying inequality. It finds that problem gambling rates among 18–24-year-olds in deprived areas are nearly three times higher than those in affluent regions. The report attributes this to a “double exposure” effect, where targeted digital marketing and high street betting density combine to saturate vulnerable audiences.
CEO Anna Hargrave stressed the need to bring regulations “into the digital age” to protect children and young adults. GambleAware’s seven-point reform plan includes banning influencer and celebrity endorsements, tightening age verification to 25+, mandating health warnings on all ads, and curbing inducement marketing.
Public sentiment supports reform: 90% of adults back stricter ad rules, while 86% of teens want better gambling education. The findings come as political and fiscal pressure builds, with lawmakers pushing for higher gambling taxes and stronger oversight.
GambleAware’s work concludes in March 2026, when new gambling-harm commissioners will assume responsibility for policy, research, and treatment programmes. However, whether these recommendations become law depends on the UK government and the Gambling Commission.
The charity’s message is unequivocal: without updated digital advertising standards grounded in fairness, gambling inequality will remain entrenched in Britain’s most vulnerable communities.
