One in 10 gambling ads unlicensed in Premier League opening weekend
Summary
New research from the University of Bristol’s Bristol Hub for Gambling Harms Research finds that self-regulation in the UK gambling sector is failing. During the opening weekend of the 2025 Premier League season (15–18 August) researchers recorded 27,440 gambling messages across broadcasts, radio and social media — nearly three times the 2023 figure and slightly below 2024 levels.
The study found thousands of rule breaches and identified that roughly one in 10 gambling adverts (2,412 messages from 13 brands) originated from operators without a UK licence. The industry ‘whistle-to-whistle’ ban proved ineffective, and social media posts generated over 34 million views. The findings add weight to calls for government intervention and will be presented at the Bristol Hub’s colloquium on 16 October.
Key Points
- Researchers recorded 27,440 gambling messages across the Premier League opening weekend (15–18 August 2025).
- 21,815 messages appeared during nearly 29 hours of live broadcasts — an average of 12.6 ads per minute.
- One match (Wolverhampton v Manchester City) showed 5,262 messages (around 22 per minute) with gambling logos for a third of the broadcast time.
- About 2,412 messages (roughly 1 in 10) were from operators without a UK licence, across 13 brands.
- The whistle-to-whistle restriction (5 minutes before kick-off to 5 minutes after full-time, pre-9pm) saw 13,262 messages — a 32% increase year-on-year — showing the rule’s limited effect.
- Social media gambling posts reached over 34 million views and many posts were not clearly labelled as advertising.
- The number of brands advertising rose from 31 in 2024 to 43 in 2025, increasing saturation and exposure, especially for children.
- Researchers and campaigners argue voluntary self-regulation is failing and urge the Government to act; regulators like the ASA were criticised as ineffective.
Context and relevance
This study sits at the intersection of public health, sport governance and advertising regulation. It builds on previous annual monitoring and highlights a trend of growing advertising saturation despite voluntary industry measures. The presence of unlicensed operators and widespread social media exposure underline enforcement gaps and loopholes — issues relevant to broadcasters, advertisers, regulators, MPs and child-protection advocates. The research will feed into policy discussions and potential legislative responses aimed at limiting gambling harms.
Author style
Punchy: this is a blunt, evidence-led critique of industry self-regulation that adds momentum to calls for statutory action. Read it if you work in sport, regulation, advertising or public health — it’s not subtle.
Why should I read this
Look, if you care about kids, fans or simple regulatory common sense, this spells trouble. The research shows the industry promise of better self-regulation hasn’t worked — there are thousands more ads, rule breaches and even unlicensed operators splashing branding everywhere. If you want to know why politicians and campaigners are up in arms (and what might change next), this is a quick catch-up that saves you the slog of reading the full report.
Source
Source: https://next.io/news/marketing/gambling-ads-unlicensed-premier-league-study/