Gambling companies splurge on public transport advertisements in the UK

• Gambling ads continue to proliferate on public transport services in London
• Sadiq Khan, the three-term incumbent mayor, is looking for the legal grounds to execute a ban he promised in 2021
• However, the gambling firm's spending on such ads has grown twofold

The Guardian has published a new piece of reporting, in which it stated that gambling companies have spent a total of £7.5m advertising on TfL services, including the underground, overground, trams, Victoria coach station, DLR, and Elizabeth line, during the three terms of Sadiq Khan, London’s incumbent mayor.

Mayor Khan is still unable to deliver on a promise he made about gambling ads

The publication also pointed out that gambling companies spent £4.6m since Khan vowed to stop companies from advertising using TfL services in 2021. The Guardian notes that spending has continued at a hastened pace since the mayor’s vow.

The Guardian cited Freedom of Information as the basis of its reporting, noting that there have been 223 advertisement campaigns by gambling companies on TfL services in 2025, and arguing that this was twice the number from 2024.

A statement by the mayor’s office read: "The government is looking at the best way to address harmful gambling, including understanding the impact of advertising, and the mayor will consider what action he can take once that review is complete."

The delay, however, does not come from a place of complacency either, with the mayor determined to enact a ban on gambling advertisement in the transportation system, but fearing that doing so without sufficient proof that the activity is harmful could expose the city to legal risks.

However, his office has already enacted a ban on junk food advertisement, citing the government’s backing that the products were unhealthy.

No legal recourse to enact a ban on gambling ads ban on public transport services

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has usually been the one tasked with presenting evidence for various policy changes regarding gambling.

However, the DCMS has no immediate plans to present insight into why and how public advertisement on London’s transport services may be impacting people and why a ban would be justified.

In other words, Khan may have little to no legal recourse to enact the ban he promised nearly five years ago.

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