UK Whistle To Whistle Ban Has Public Support (Update)

By Brian Cullingworth, Last updated Dec 21, 2018

YouGov snap survey reveals

The new Whistle-to-Whistle ban during live sports broadcasts before the 9pm watershed agreed by UK betting firms has received majority support from the public in a snap YouGov survey.

78 percent of respondents support the ban, while 6 percent oppose it. 16 percent fell into the “don’t know” category.

The Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG) confirmed the adoption of the gambling advertising ban in a statement saying the changes to the Gambling Industry Code for Socially Responsible Advertising is expected to come into force in the UK summer of 2019.

Changes include a ‘whistle to whistle’ ban on all TV betting adverts during pre-watershed live sport, starting five minutes before the event begins, and ending five minutes after it finishes.

Additional measures include an end to betting adverts around highlight shows and re-runs, and an end to pre-watershed bookmaker sponsorship of sports programmes.

The changes will effectively stop betting adverts from being shown in commercial breaks during televised live sport, excluding horse and greyhound racing programmes.

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