Gambling advertising by licensed operators in the United Kingdom continued to contract in 2024, according to independent analysis commissioned by the Betting and Gaming Council. The findings show that regulated companies reduced their share of the national advertising market while directing a larger proportion of their remaining budgets toward safer gambling messaging and consumer protection measures.

Research conducted by Alvarez & Marsal for the Gambling Advertising and Sponsorship Report 2025 (pdf) found that gambling advertising represented 2.7% of total UK advertising spend in 2024, compared with 3% the previous year. The data draws on raw advertising submissions from BGC members and covers activity across the regulated market.

Lower Marketing Spend Across Regulated Operators

Between October 2023 and September 2024, licensed betting and gaming operators spent a combined £1.15bn on advertising and sponsorship. Digital formats attracted the largest allocation, with £768m, or 66.8% of total expenditure, directed to online channels. Broadcast advertising accounted for £341m, representing 29.6% of spending, with television forming the majority of this category.

Television advertising continued to appear mainly later in the day. Despite exemptions allowing bingo and limited sports betting promotion earlier, 72% of gambling TV adverts aired after the watershed. Even with this concentration, television recorded the steepest reduction in spend, falling by around £30m and contributing significantly to the overall decline in marketing outlay.

When compared with the equivalent 2021 to 2022 period, gambling advertising expenditure excluding perimeter advertising declined at a combined annual rate of 1.7%. Alongside advertising, operators also committed £138m to sponsorship during the same reporting period.

Industry representatives attributed part of this reduction to higher compliance costs linked to updated advertising codes and enhanced safer gambling requirements introduced during 2024.

Emphasis on Safer Gambling Messaging

A notable share of current advertising activity focuses on player protection. The report shows that about 20% of all gambling advertising now centers on safer gambling messages, a level described as standard practice across BGC members.

The analysis links this focus to observable changes in consumer behavior. During the most recent Safer Gambling Week, the number of people setting deposit limits rose by 14%, while the use of safer gambling tools increased by 22%. The authors present these figures as evidence that protection messaging prompts engagement rather than serving a symbolic role.

Advertising compliance also remained high. Upheld rulings by the Advertising Standards Authority applied to fewer than 0.01% of search advertising campaigns and 0.02% of social media campaigns run by betting and gaming operators, reflecting the strength of regulatory oversight in the UK market.

Grainne Hurst, CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, 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.”

Economic Impact and Black Market Pressure

Beyond consumer protection, the report assessed the wider economic role of regulated gambling advertising. 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 reached an estimated £506m, split between contracted services and wider supply chains. Marketing employment costs totaled £84m, covering around 1,400 full-time roles.

The authors noted that these figures exclude induced economic effects, meaning the total contribution likely exceeds the stated estimates. They also warned that removing regulated advertising and sponsorship funding would reshape parts of the sports and media landscape, particularly free-to-air coverage of lower-league and grassroots sport, increasing reliance on subscription-based models.

At the same time, the report highlighted growing concern about illegal gambling promotion. Unlicensed operators face none of the UK’s advertising restrictions and continue to promote heavily through unregulated digital channels, including influencers, search engines, and AI-generated content. Separate industry analysis estimates that black market sites spend between £500m and £700m on advertising.

Regulators have also raised concerns about offshore platforms promoting themselves as operating outside UK self-exclusion schemes such as GAMSTOP, further increasing consumer risk. Adam Rivers, Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal, said: “We are pleased to have worked with the BGC on this report, which offers an insight into the state of the gambling advertising and sponsorship sector in the UK, based on actual advertising expenditure data from licensed operators.”