BGC asks for “cooperation” in social media marketing crackdown

The BGC said that Michael Dugher, chief executive of the BGC, has written to the culture secretary, Lucy Frazer MP, and asked her to put more pressure on social media companies, in reference to the government’s plan to address problem gambling for under-25s.

“This is impossible to achieve without the cooperation of the social media platforms themselves,” the letter reads. “This is a sensible solution, which BGC members are keen on implementing, but we cannot do so without the cooperation of social media platforms.

“I would urge you to help on this matter by calling on social media platforms to finally cooperate with the BGC and make the relevant functionality available, so we can help protect the most vulnerable.”

This focus on under-25s was outlined in the government’s Gambling Act Review white paper.

Dugher also detailed a past BGC initiative in the letter, one that gave social media platforms the power to allow customers to opt out of betting and gaming marketing.

Last week, the BGC announced that the 2023 edition of Safer Gambling Week will take place on 13-19 November.