Sports betting adverts put under review

The Labour party has called for a total ban on sports betting advertisements during live televised events, after studies showed that 90 minutes of adverts were shown in total during the World Cup. 

According to 'BBC' research, the Gambling Commission says that there are 430,000 problem gamblers in the UK, while the Remote Gambling Association claims that it was "very mindful of public concerns".

Many anti-gambling campaigners have slammed the continued acceptance of widespread betting adverts, as they believe that Football "normalises" the very real danger of gambling. 

Nearly 60% of clubs in the top two divisions of English football have the logos of gambling companies emblazoned on their shirts. 

In a worrying development, the alleged number of children with tendencies to gamble has quadrupled to more than 50,000 in just two years.

An annual meeting of the RGA (Remote Gambling Association) produced a list of proposals for changes in sports betting regulations; which included a pre-watershed ban on gambling advertisements and restricting the number of adverts per match.

The association also released a statement on the issue, which said: "In relation to the Young People and Gambling report, we note that the principal forms of gambling do not relate to online gambling. The issue of children and gambling is a complex area and we would never suggest that improvements cannot be made."

Discussions on the matter are set to be ongoing as the rise in gambling on sports is also only appearing to increase.