Church of England Warns of Danger of Gambling Addiction

Advertisements promoting gambling should have warnings about the danger of gambling addiction, the Church of England continues to urge the public.

It states that the potential benefits of doing this "should outweigh the disadvantage of extra financial costs for advertisers."

The statement questions whether the Government's objectives for regulating advertisements for gambling are realistic or achievable.

It supports the Government's objective in the Gambling Act 2005 that "the reduction of harm should take precedence over the maximisation of innovation, consumer choice and economic gains," but questions how far "any regulatory framework" can achieve this goal, "given the persuasive function and character of advertising."

The Church of England also calls on the Gambling Commission to make compliance with advertising rules a condition of gambling operators' licences.

Taking the same position as other churches, most prominently The Salvation Army and the Methodist Church, the Church of England reiterated its long-held concern for the potential damage to individuals and families if more people become problem gamblers.

|QUOTE|In a recent submission signed by the Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Tom Butler, the Church acknowledged that the proposed rules to cover the advertising of gambling venues would be centred on promoting social responsibility and non-exploitation.

It argued, however, that in reality some of the rules may be difficult to apply effectively. While supporting effective proposals, the Church also questioned "whether the admirable principles can be guaranteed to be effective in practice".

"Because of the inherent nature of gambling, we have considerable apprehension about the effects of liberalising the law, and question whether the carefully-devised safeguards will achieve their intended purpose of preventing the growth of problem gambling, with its attendant damage to individuals and families," stated the Church of England.

The submission also proposed a cap on the age of all models and actors featured in, or at least playing a significant role in, the gambling advertisements to 25 years of age as a guard against the potential for youngsters to identify too easily with them and so make gambling more attractive to them.

The response was developed by the Mission and Public Affairs Council of the Church of England, the body responsible for overseeing research and comment on social and political issues on behalf of the Church.