With a gambling industry worth upwards of £15 billion in the UK, it is only normal that the different players in the sector would work hard for a larger market share. Consumers also don’t mind being courted; they want to be reminded of their options at every opportunity they get, and even better, they do not mind being informed when new providers and platforms join this supposedly saturated market. Beyond trying to grab a larger piece of the market share and attract bettors, Digital Whiskers explains why there are many more reasons why gambling adverts are so plentiful in the UK.

The first place to start is the fact that there are indeed too many options available to punters nationwide. As of March 2022, there were over 6,000 betting shops in the country with just under 200 online gambling operators licensed to work in the UK. The operators in the UK are required to participate in the GamStop self-exclusion scheme, and so they not only have to squabble among themselves, but they also have numerous other offshore non-GamStop operators like the ones listed here to fend off, too. Kane Pepi further explains that Non-GamStop sites are licensed and regulated in countries outside of the UK, so they don’t have to comply with the typical UK regulations. They’re becoming popular with players located within the UK, and as such, advertisements are booming to promote both UK-based Gamstop sites and international offshore Non-Gamstop sites as online platforms work hard to get players’ attention.

It is also important to note that beyond the gambling industry’s behemoth size, the advertisement industry is no slouch itself. Just under £40 million was invested into different advertising programmes in 2022, and with different agencies hoping to score huge contracts, they turn to industries and industry players with sizable pockets and the gambling industry is one of them. The promise of being able to increase their reach, double their sales, and make their brand the most desirable is too enticing for most of these companies to turn away.

Lastly, another reason there are so many gambling ads in the UK is due to the fact that gambling operators have clear regulations to follow when creating and putting out advertisements in the country. As a result, the number of reputable high-quality advertisements has grown significantly, while the strict regulations ensure that all ads stay within bounds. Since these ads floating around are not exploitative to vulnerable people, do not suggest that gambling is a make-it-rich quick scheme, do not encourage people to be financially irresponsible, and do not condone socially irresponsible behavior, they allow gambling operators and their advertisement agencies to go all out as they are confident they are on the right side of the law with no risk of losing their licenses. The clear regulations have helped in-person casinos and online platforms create a larger number of ads while complying with local rules.

So why? The real question perhaps is why not. The UK has all the makings for gambling operators to thrive and they in turn try to ensure their survival by producing competitive ads to entice players in a busy market.