Last June The Guardian took the decision to stop taking money from gambling advertising. The paper's Mark Rice-Okley said the decision was not taken lightly because it
will cost them hundreds of thousands of pounds a year. But they felt it was
the right way to go for ethical reasons - and the wider reaction has
offered some vindication.
In the UK parliament, the all party group of MPs devoted to examining
the harm caused by gambling said: “Brilliant news - another important
step in the right direction.” A survey
found that almost three-quarters of people in the UK felt other news
organisations should do the same.
And Matt Zarb-Cousin, director of the group Clean Up
Gambling, told the Guardian it would help campaigners like him
make the case to government that it should take similar action.
“There is overwhelming public support for ending gambling advertising,
particularly around football,” Matt says. “It’s great that there won’t
be gambling advertising on the Guardian sports pages. It’s helping us
to make the case.”
He says he expects to see councils and local government follow suit -
and other news groups as well.
“Eventually there will be a ban on gambling ads because of the impact
on children,” Zarb-Cousin says. “We are seeing the consequences feeding
through to young people, 18-24 year olds, where rates of gambling are
very high.
“It’s about regulating the industry so it doesn’t rely on people
getting addicted.”
(Article from the Guardian with minor changes)