The latest research, carried out by Alvarez and Marsal for the Gambling Advertising and Sponsorship Report 2025, shows that gambling ad spend made up 2.7% of the UK ad market in 2024 – down from 3% in 2023.
BGC CEO Grainne Hurst said: “This independent analysis shows that gambling advertising by licensed operators is continuing to fall, with spend increasingly concentrated on safer gambling messaging and consumer protections.
“By contrast, illegal operators are advertising aggressively online with no safeguards, no age checks and no consumer protections, posing a huge risk to consumers.”
Total ad and sponsorship spend by Great Britain’s licensed betting and gaming operators reached £1.15bn during the period October 2023 – September 2024.
The figures are based on raw advertising data submitted by BGC members, covering activity across the regulated UK market.
Digital channels absorbed the largest share of expenditure, with £768m, or 66.8%, directed to online advertising formats. Broadcast advertising accounted for £341m, representing 29.6% of total spend.
Television advertising remained concentrated later in the day, with 72% of TV ads aired after the watershed, despite exemptions that permit bingo and limited sports betting advertising earlier.
Overall gambling advertising spend by licensed operators has declined at a combined annual rate of -1.7% compared with the equivalent 2021 to 2022 period. The reduction was driven largely by a £30m fall in television advertising.
Separate from advertising, operators spent an additional £138m on sponsorship during the same reporting period.
As the regulated sector continues to sound the alarm about the dangers of increasing exposure to unlicensed operators, the data shows a continued trend since 2021.
Player protection a key focus
A significant proportion of advertising activity remains dedicated to player protection. Around 20% of all gambling advertising is focused on safer gambling messaging, a requirement described in the report as ubiquitous across BGC members.
This allocation sits alongside standalone safer gambling campaigns and revised industry advertising codes introduced during 2024.
The report links this focus to measurable behavioural outcomes. During the most recent Safer Gambling Week, 14% more people set deposit limits, while the number of safer gambling tools in use increased by 22%.
The analysis presents these figures as evidence that protection messaging is eliciting engagement rather than being purely symbolic.
Advertising compliance levels were also highlighted. Upheld Advertising Standards Authority rulings applied to fewer than 0.01% of search advertising campaigns and 0.02% of social media campaigns by betting and gaming operators, reinforcing the strength of the UK’s regulatory oversight.
Beyond consumer impacts, the report outlines the economic footprint of regulated gambling advertising.
It suggested that advertising and sponsorship activity supported an average of 9,900 jobs across the advertising, media, and creative supply chain.
Indirect gross value added linked to these activities was estimated at £506m, split between contracted services and wider supply chains. Marketing employment costs totalled £84m, covering around 1,400 full-time roles.
The authors note that these estimates exclude induced economic effects, a limitation that understates the full contribution.
The report also warned that removing regulated gambling advertising and sponsorship funding would likely reshape sports and media markets, particularly free-to-air coverage of lower league and grassroots sport, increasing reliance on subscription-based models.
Dingnews.com 04/02/2026