Gambling giants were last night accused of ‘providing the gateway for the next generation of harm’ after bombarding sports fans with TV adverts and free bets during the return of Premier League football.
Despite curbs on TV gambling advertisements around live sporting events introduced last year, the first two televised Premier League matches since the coronavirus-enforced break were deluged with 24 separate gambling commercials.
Astonishingly, 14 of these – including offers of free bets of up to £10 – were shown before the 9pm watershed.
Last night Carolyn Harris, the chairman of the all-party parliamentary group for gambling harm, led renewed calls to ban gambling advertisements altogether, as she accused large firms of ‘swarming like vultures’ on viewers.