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Nearly four years after Sadiq Khan promised to remove gambling advertising from London’s transport network, betting and casino brands continue to dominate Tube stations, trains and platforms — and at significant cost. Since the pledge was made during the 2021 mayoral election, gambling firms have spent close to £5 million promoting their services across Transport for London (TfL) assets, exposing a widening gap between political commitments and policy action.
Freedom of information disclosures show that more than 500 gambling advertising campaigns have run on TfL since the promise was announced, generating around £4.6 million in revenue during that period alone. Across Khan’s three mayoral terms, gambling companies have spent more than £7.5 million advertising on the Underground, Overground, DLR, Elizabeth line, trams and at Victoria Coach Station.
Advertising volume rises despite public backlash
Rather than slowing, the volume of gambling promotions has accelerated. This year has already seen 223 separate campaigns — more than double last year’s total — highlighting how the absence of a ban has created space for increased visibility rather than restraint. Some campaigns have sparked public backlash, including a high-profile online casino promotion that was eventually pulled after criticism over its tone.
The growing presence of gambling ads has intensified scrutiny of TfL’s role as both a public service and a commercial advertising platform, particularly when campaigns are seen by millions of commuters each day.
City Hall’s standoff with Westminster
At the heart of the delay is a prolonged impasse between City Hall and central government. The mayor’s office has repeatedly pointed to a lack of guidance from Westminster on the relationship between gambling advertising and harm, arguing that any unilateral ban could face legal challenge without national-level evidence to support it.
This caution contrasts sharply with Khan’s earlier intervention on junk food advertising, where TfL successfully imposed restrictions on products high in fat, salt and sugar. In that case, officials relied on nationally recognised definitions and a substantial evidence base linking such foods to poor health outcomes. Gambling, by comparison, occupies far less settled regulatory territory.
Evidence gaps and policy paralysis
More than one million people in the UK are estimated to suffer from problem gambling, according to the Gambling Commission. While several studies suggest a correlation between advertising exposure and gambling-related harm, establishing a direct causal link has proven difficult — a complexity that has effectively stalled progress at City Hall.
Compounding the problem is the apparent absence of any active government review into gambling advertising. Although the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport regularly gathers evidence to inform gambling policy, there is understood to be no ongoing project specifically examining how advertising contributes to harm. As a result, the guidance the mayor’s office claims to be waiting for may not materialise anytime soon.
Growing pressure from councils and campaigners
Critics argue that the mayor’s caution is unnecessary. Campaign groups and several London councils have questioned why City Hall needs to wait for national direction, pointing out that numerous English local authorities have already restricted gambling advertising on their own channels without legal challenges.
Seven London boroughs have formally urged the mayor to move ahead with a TfL ban, increasing political pressure to act independently rather than defer responsibility to Westminster.
A lucrative market for gambling brands
The standoff plays out against a backdrop of enormous advertising spend. Gambling companies are estimated to pour between £1 billion and £2 billion a year into UK advertising, depending on whose figures are used. While the industry has introduced voluntary measures — including limits on ads during televised sports before 9pm and commitments to include safer gambling messaging — critics argue these initiatives do little to curb overall exposure.
For now, TfL remains one of the most visible and commercially attractive advertising platforms for gambling operators in the country.
An unresolved contradiction
As gambling advertising continues to expand across London’s transport network, the contrast between repeated political pledges and on-the-ground reality grows increasingly stark. With no clear timeline for action and no definitive guidance forthcoming, the promise to remove gambling ads risks becoming another policy commitment trapped in permanent delay — even as the campaigns it sought to curb continue to multiply.
Source: theguardian.com
