End the Cycle – Ban Gambling Advertising Now

Background

Ban all gambling advertising and sponsorship, including at racecourses and in sports. Treat gambling with the same regulatory rigour as tobacco, acknowledging that its neurological impact mimics Class A drugs like cocaine. Protect the public by ending the normalisation of betting in UK life.

Additional details

Research in Translational Psychiatry (2017) confirms gambling triggers the same neural pathways as cocaine. We call on the UK Government to ban all gambling ads and racecourse sponsorships. Public Health England notes a "dose-response" effect: higher exposure increases participation and harm. The DSM-5 reclassified gambling as an "Addictive Disorder" due to this biological overlap. We must stop the predatory normalisation of a "Class A" equivalent.