Gambling companies have paid close to £5 million to advertise across London's transport system in the years since Mayor Sadiq Khan first promised to prohibit such marketing, new figures reveal.
A Pledge in Limbo
During his successful 2021 re-election campaign, Sadiq Khan vowed to extend an existing ban on junk food advertisements on Transport for London (TfL) services to include online casinos and bookmakers. He cited the "devastating" impact of gambling addiction on lives and families as his primary motivation.
However, that manifesto commitment has yet to be enacted. The Mayor's office attributes the delay to a lack of specific guidance from central government on the proven links between gambling advertisements and actual harm.
Advertising Spend Soars Amid Political Stalemate
Data obtained through Freedom of Information requests shows that in the period since Khan's pledge, gambling firms have run more than 500 separate advertising campaigns across the TfL network. This includes the Tube, Overground, DLR, Elizabeth line, trams, and Victoria Coach Station.
The total cost of this advertising is approximately £4.6 million. Over the course of Khan's three terms as Mayor, the cumulative spend by the gambling industry on TfL advertising exceeds £7.5 million.
Critically, the number of campaigns has surged recently, with 223 recorded in the current year alone—more than double the figure from the previous year. This increase occurs against a backdrop of a continuing impasse between City Hall and Westminster.
The Search for Evidence and Risk of Legal Challenge
City Hall has indicated that the Mayor is waiting for the completion of a government review into the impact of gambling advertising before he can act. A spokesperson for Khan stated he would "consider what action he can take once that review is complete."
However, it is understood that no such formal review is currently underway at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). While the department gathers evidence broadly, there is no specific project analysing the causative links between ads and harm.
This evidentiary gap is central to the delay. The Mayor's team is concerned that any unilateral ban could face a successful legal challenge without robust, government-backed proof of harm. This risk was lower for the junk food ad ban, which relied on a nationally agreed definition of HFSS foods and a substantial body of existing research.
Nick Harvey of the Coalition to End Gambling Ads criticised the wait, saying: "It makes no sense to wait for national guidance; dozens of English councils have already banned gambling ads on their channels without legal challenges." Seven London councils have also urged the Mayor to proceed.
A DCMS spokesperson acknowledged that "more work needs to be done to ensure that gambling advertising does not lead to harmful gambling." The industry's annual UK advertising spend is estimated at up to £2 billion, though this figure is contested by the Betting and Gaming Council.
With over a million people in the UK suffering from gambling problems, the debate over advertising's role—and the political responsibility to act—remains firmly in the spotlight.
