10,000 signatures reached
To: Transport for London
Stop bombarding us with gambling ads on public transport
Stop taking cash from gambling companies for ads that encourage us to gamble. Immediately ban them and keep the promise made by Sadiq Khan in 2021 to remove all gambling ads from the TfL network.
Why is this important?
Gambling companies spend over a BILLION pounds on ads every year to convince us to gamble. And it works - studies show a clear link between seeing gambling ads and gambling more.
Gambling isn't a harmless hobby. Hundreds and thousands of people across the UK are addicted to gambling and every day someone takes their life due to gambling.
In 2021 Sadiq Khan pledged in his London Mayoral manifesto to ban gambling ads on the London transport network, but three years later as he heads into another election the ads remain all over TfL.
There's outrage over “This bus is now a casino" ads on TfL, which forced the gambling company to promise to withdraw them. Every day thousands of children, people experiencing gambling addiction, those in recovery, and families bereaved by gambling, will have been forced to see them, when they were just trying to get from point A to B.
We shouldn't have to wait for companies to decide to take gambling ads down. TfL has shown they're willing to turn down advertising cash before out of concern for commuters. They removed ads for strawberries and cream at Wimbledon because of health concerns - why do treats at tennis force TfL to act, but the risks of addiction don't?
We can show TfL and the London Mayor that it's time to take the damage done by gambling seriously. Right now, they mostly hear from the advertisers instead of us, the people the Mayor and TfL are meant to serve. With a huge petition, we can show them that the backlash isn't worth the money they might get from casinos and betting companies, and turn promises into action.
