Updated on 23 Feb 26 by
Barry carter
Poker Expert

Half of Britons agree with a ban on gambling advertising

In a new survey it appears that the general public would be happy to see all forms of gambling advertising removed.





A recent poll conducted by Survation reveals that over half of the British public supports a ban on gambling advertising as the government prepares to revamp the industry.

The survey, commissioned by the charity Gambling with Lives, found that 52% of respondents favoured a ban on all gambling advertising, promotion, and sponsorship. Additionally, nearly two-thirds of participants expressed a desire for new limits on online stakes.

The poll, which surveyed 1,009 UK adults between March 29th and April 2nd, 2023, discovered that 68% of respondents believed that individuals under 18 should not be exposed to gambling advertising. Moreover, 64% were in favor of affordability checks for those wishing to bet over £100 per month, and 60% viewed gambling as a threat to family life.

You can see a summary of the questions that were asked below and here

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Click to enlarge

Gambling White Paper released today

poker
People and institutions outside of poker associate it with traditional casino games

This news comes on the day that the UK government has revealed new proposals aimed at tightening online gambling regulations, following a long-awaited review. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) released a white paper outlining a series of measures designed to address the growing concerns surrounding the industry.

Key proposals include the introduction of a 1% mandatory levy on industry revenues, tougher affordability checks to prevent excessive losses, and online slot machine stakes capped at between £2 and £15. Additionally, the government plans to curb "free spin" and "bonus" offers, introduce measures to slow down online casino games, allocate more resources to the Gambling Commission, and establish a gambling ombudsman.

Most poker players do not consider our game gambling, or at least it is a skill game with an element of gambling, so it could be easy to ignore these findings. However, the general public and policymakers are much more likely to associate poker with traditional casino games like blackjack. The findings of this survey and the white paper could have implications for poker in the future. 

Would you agree with a ban on gambling adverts? Let us know in the comments:


Poker Expert

Barry Carter is the editor of PokerStrategy.com and the co-author of The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2, Poker Satellite Strategy, PKO Poker Strategy, Endgame Poker Strategy, GTO Poker Simplified, Mystery Bounty Poker Strategy and Beyond GTO. In 2025, he won the Global Poker Awards for Best Book and Twitter Personality of the Year.