The Church of England is warning of a 'moral crisis' facing children and young people as a study revealed two in three teenagers feel bombarded by adverts for betting firms.
Alan Smith, Bishop of St Albans, called for a ban on gambling adverts before the 9pm watershed as he warned society will reap a 'terrible harvest' because betting is being 'normalised' for children and young people.
The study found more than six in ten teens said TV commercials for Paddy Power and Bet365 made gambling 'look fun' and almost half – 49 per cent – said some make gambling look like a good way to make money.
It comes as the Bishop of St Albans told The Daily Telegraph: 'There's lots of evidence that young people are seeing extraordinary levels of advertising which is normalising and socialising gambling. That is a moral issue – one we need to stand back and reflect about.'
He added: 'You cannot watch a game of football without seeing dozens of adverts which are selling a way of life. There is an exemption for gambling companies. That is an anomaly that needs to be closed. It's dubious even after the watershed.'
The research, commissioned by Tory peer Lord Chadlington, whose survey of 1,000 teenagers aged 14 to 18 was conducted by Populus, also found 65 per cent of teenagers think television channels carry too much gambling advertising and only one in four believe TV gambling adverts carry enough warnings about the dangers of addiction.
Lord Chadlington said: 'The Government should ban all gambling advertising during sporting events. It must ensure that both online and offline, the use of sporting celebrities to promote gambling should be stopped.
'Gambling must not be normalised amongst the young. You can enjoy sport as sport – you do not need gambling to make it fun.'
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is carrying out a review of gambling.
