Gambling pays for ad sector as spend keeps running

While consumer groups bemoan the rise of the gambling giants, you are unlikely to hear a squeak out of the advertising and marketing industry after new figures reveal that betting firms have spent nearly £500m on TV ads since 2012, a rise of just under 50%.
The report, from Neilsen, shows annual spend increased from £81.2m in 2012 to £118.5m in 2015, a 46% increase, with total cumulative spend of £456m.
However, this does not include a further £169m blown on lottery ads or the onslaught of campaigns in the run-up to the Euro 2016 football tournament.
While TV companies are no doubt licking their lips, one body which is finding the feast of advertising hard to swallow is the Campaign for Fairer Gambling. It claimed the increase is the result of lax legislation.
Chairman Adrian Parkinson said: “The rapid increase in advertising expenditure is a symptom of the free-for-all that was opended up by the Gambling Act and Labour’s total liberalisation of gamblimg and the advertising of it.”
Nevertheless, the advertising appears to be working. Figures released by the Gambling Commission last month show that the increase in spend coincided with a 40% rise in the amount being wagered by British consumers.