Online casino firm 888.com to withdraw UK adverts after backlash

The online casino company 888.com will withdraw adverts from locations including London’s transport network after a backlash against their tone, prompting criticism of the capital’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, for allowing them to appear in the first place.

The decision is thought to be a response to criticism of the tone in which the ads promote online casino games, which are associated with higher rates of harm than most other gambling products, according to NHS survey data.

Prof Henrietta Bowden-Jones, who oversees the National Problem Gambling Clinic and is recognised as one of Britain’s leading experts on addiction, also criticised Khan after seeing one of the ads on the tube.

TfL’s review of its policy on gambling ads has allowed firms including 888.com, which is chaired by the Labour peer Jonathan Mendelsohn, to launch high-profile campaigns.

888.com has received some of the largest fines in the history of the British betting industry, including a £9.4m penalty in 2022 for multiple failings that led to customers racking up huge losses during the depths of the Covid crisis.

A London Labour spokesperson said: “City Hall commissioned an independent review of existing research on harmful gambling to help develop understanding of this subject.