An influential group of more than 50 MPs and peers are calling for all gambling adverts to be banned.
A report by the Gambling Related Harm All Party Parliamentary Group is calling for a huge shake up of the way £11bn industry is regulated.
The cross-party group, which is headed up by Labour MP Carolyn Harris, has previously campaigned successfully for a ban on credit card bets and axing of fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs).
According to the Guardian, they are looking at a complete overhaul of the 2005 Gambling Act which legalised betting advertising.
The measures reported by the Guardian include:
A ban on gambling ads, both on TV and online
An end to VIP schemes and inducements to bet
A £2 stake limit on online slot machines
Independent affordability checks
Controls on gambling game design
A new ombudsman to resolve disputes
Labour MP Carolyn Harris, said: “This multimillion pound industry has destroyed people’s lives.
“They have shown time and again that they will not effectively self-regulate. Urgent change is needed to stop this industry riding roughshod over people’s lives.”
The group said the regulator was "not fit for purpose" calling for it to be given more powers and complemented by a new gambling ombudsman who can address disputes between customers and firms.
But the Gambling Commission said the regulator was “committed to drastically reducing gambling harm and it is untrue to say that we are not fit for purpose”.
The publication of the group’s interim report last year wiped hundreds of millions of pounds off gambling company shares.
