50 signatures reached
To: all members of the public
End gambling ads. on TV
To lobby the government to put a ban on TV advertising for online gambling and bingo sites.
Why is this important?
Although we have now banned alcohol and tobacco advertising on TV there appears to be no control over the advertising of online gambling casino and bingo sites. These sites are largely endorsed by celebrities and are shown at times when our most vulnerable and lonely are viewing. I know from personal experience, through the death of my brother, by suicide. I was very close to him, but had no idea that he was a secret gambler. Gambling is as addictive as drinking and smoking, and in many ways more pernicious, causing other destructive behaviour. Often it those who an least afford to gamble who do so, people in financial trouble, who in a desperate attempt to pay off debts will gamble their last penny. The only winners are the sites themselves who load the odds against individuals winning. As a Samaritan listening volunteer I often take calls from desperate suicidal people who have become victims of such gambling sites.