National TV gambling ads may not be possible according to IPA

The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) has warned that gambling companies planning to take advantage of the forthcoming relaxation of the rules on television advertising may not be able to run national campaigns.

The latest problem, which comes amid a prolonged period of uncertainty for the industry, has arisen after broadcasters admitted to the IPA at a meeting on Monday that, apart from ITV 1, they cannot run national campaigns because they are unable to prevent broadcast in Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.

The Gambling Act 2005, which comes into force on September 1, does not cover Northern Ireland, where previous legislation banning all gambling advertising still applies.

Last week, the Institute of Sales Promotion (ISP) hit out at the failure to extend the Act to Northern Ireland as a “considerable nuisance” because a national promotion would be subject to different legal regimes (MW August 2).

The gambling industry and broadcasters are now consulting on the issue, which, according to the IPA, will make the new legislation obsolete before it even comes into effect.