The UK Government has been urged to restrict gambling advertising in Northern Ireland.
Members of the Stormont Assembly’s All Party Group on Reducing Harm Relating to Gambling have written to Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, asking her to act to protect the public in the region.
In a letter sent at the end of Safer Gambling Week, the MLAs, including the group’s chairman Philip McGuigan (Sinn Fein) and Robbie Butler (UUP), have asked Ms Nandy to bridge a gap around gambling advertising online.
They said Northern Ireland is an outlier in the UK in not having updated gambling legislation since the advent of the internet.
While gambling policy is devolved, MLAs are concerned there is not enough time remaining in the current Assembly mandate to be able to pass a new Bill.
The Irish Parliament recently passed legislation introducing tight restrictions on gambling marketing.
It includes a new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland which has the power to set the times, places and events where gambling advertising can be broadcast, displayed or published.
In their letter to Ms Nandy, the MLAs write: “We urge you to use your existing powers under the Gambling Act 2005 to take immediate action on gambling advertising and promotion and protect people across these islands from further gambling-related harm.”
They pointed to a recent cross-border report by Maynooth University and Ulster University showing that young people across the island of Ireland are exposed to “extremely high levels of gambling marketing” through televised sports programmes and social media content.
“Northern Ireland now stands alone as the only jurisdiction on these islands without updated gambling legislation since the advent of the internet,” they wrote.
“Unfortunately, our Executive does not have sufficient legislative time in the current Assembly mandate to take forward a Gambling Bill.
“This leaves our population here (who already experience the highest levels of gambling-related harm across these islands) highly vulnerable.”
“While remote gambling operators licensed by the Gambling Commission can freely advertise in Northern Ireland, as online and broadcast advertising is a reserved matter, our population is afforded no protection by the regulator.
“However, 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.
“Introducing restrictions similar to those in Ireland would have a profound benefit for Northern Ireland, Britain and Ireland, where British TV is widely watched.”
They added: “Now is the time for you as Secretary of State to take positive steps towards restricting the promotion of gambling and act on the Government’s manifesto commitment to reduce gambling-related harm.
“We urge you to use your existing powers to take immediate action to restrict the promotion of gambling in the UK and reduce the harm caused by gambling across these islands.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport indicated they would respond to the letter from the MLAs in due course.