Online casino 888.com is to remove adverts from the London Transport network, following backlash. The campaign, which appears on London Underground carriages, buses and taxis, uses slogans like “this carriage is now a casino” and “fancy a spin?”
The tone of 888.com’s latest campaign has attracted criticism from Londoners, with some voicing fears that it trivializes gambling and detracts from the potential harm that online gambling can cause.
Pressure is mounting on Khan
London mayor Sadiq Khan has faced increased pressure to ban gambling advertising on the London Underground and other Transport for London (TfL) services in recent weeks.
A ban on gambling advertising was a key manifesto pledge for Khan at the 2021 election, but there have since been delays as a result of legal ambiguities in defining what constitutes “harmful gambling.”
The much talked-about ban would not be without precedent for London transport. TfL famously banned junk food advertising in 2019, to help tackle childhood obesity.
Since the junk food ban, TfL has restricted or requested alterations on several campaigns depicting food that could be seen as unhealthy, such as artisanal cheese, a jam sponge cake and even Wimbledon’s signature dish of strawberries and cream.
Londoners head to the polls in a week’s time to choose their next mayor, and Khan’s opponents have been vocal about what they see as inconsistencies in TfL’s approach over potentially harmful advertising.
“Sadiq Khan’s inconsistency in what adverts he allows and what ones he bans is baffling for Londoners. He is … banning adverts featuring cheese or strawberries and cream, while being completely relaxed about vaping and gambling?” said Susan Hall, Conservative candidate and rival to Khan.
No breaches of broadcasting codes or TfL policies
TfL has stated that 888.com’s advertising campaign did comply with the regulator’s broadcasting code and its policies. However, 888.com has chosen to remove a number of adverts from the campaign.
“We continuously listen to feedback regarding the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns and acknowledge that, whilst fully compliant with all advertising regulations and standards, our latest campaign could be interpreted in a different manner to the brand position we aim for," a spokesperson for 888.com said, speaking to The Guardian.
“As a result, we have decided to change the focus of this campaign and are withdrawing certain adverts that are currently running.”
At City Hall, further research is underway to establish what constitutes harmful gambling. An independent review has been commissioned, with work ongoing. A London Labour spokesperson said “policy work is underway and will be considered carefully by Sadiq if he is re-elected on 2 May.”
Gambling-related harm on the rise in London
London has seen a marked rise in problem gambling recently, leading to increased pressure on politicians to make changes.
In March, a cross-party report into gambling-related harms was published by the London Assembly Health Committee.
The report found that “the majority of people who gamble do not experience gambling-related harms." However, it went on to say that “people from lower socio-economic groups and minority ethnic groups are less likely to gamble, but more likely to experience gambling-related harms."
"It is deeply concerning to hear that London's problem gambling rate is almost twice the national average and that Londoners are more likely to be negatively impacted by someone else's gambling,” said Dr. Onkar Sahota, Labour chairman of the London Assembly Health Committee.
Owned by 888 Holdings, a company which itself is currently at the center of a legal battle in several European markets, 888.com is treading carefully with TfL. The timing of this decision is key, as change could soon be on the horizon for London.
The capital will choose its next mayor on May 2, and the results of this election could well have a huge impact on what gambling advertising (if any) is permitted on the London transport network in the future.
