Number Of Gambling TV Ads Soars Sixfold Since 2007

A new report from media watchdog Ofcom which examines the state of the country’s TV gambling advertising market. According to the research, which is based on viewing data from the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB), the number of gambling adverts on the television hit 1.39 million last year, with 30.9 billion impacts.

This is a huge difference compared to 2006, when there were 152,000 ads and eight billion impacts. The figures translate into a sixfold surge in gambling ad numbers since the market was liberalised in 2007.

Between 2006 and 2012, the share of gambling ads expanded to 4.1% from 0.7% of all TV advertising.

The research divided gambling ads into four types: online casino and poker services, sports betting, bingo, and lotteries and scratch cards. The results showed that the average adult was exposed to 630 ads last year, while children under 16 viewed 211 ads.

Bingo captured the bulk of advertising spots shown on television last year, totalling 532,000 and capturing a 38.3% share of the gambling ad TV market. Online casino and poker ads totalled 411,000, making up 29.6% of the total, while lottery and scratch card commercials were 355,000, or 25.6%. Sports adverts saw the smallest share, reaching 91,000 and accounting for 6.6% of the total.

In terms of impacts, or the number of times an ad was seen by viewers, bingo commercials were again the best performer, representing 41.2% of gambling impacts. Next came lottery and scratch cards with 27.2%, followed by online casino and poker at 19.2%, and sports gambling with 12.4%.

Gambling adverts on TV have been permitted since September 2007, when the Gambling Act 2005 took effect. Before that, the only gambling ads category allowed was for bingo premises, football pools, and the National Lottery.