Gambling firms spend nearly £5m on TfL ads despite ban pledge by mayor

The figures we’re seeing are startling. Gambling firms have spent close to £5m on advertising on the TfL network since Sadiq Khan pledged to restrict such promotions in 2021. The figures have drawn renewed attention to how and when the proposed restrictions will take effect, as it’s clear the mayor’s office hasn’t made good on the promise.

The commitment was intended to reduce public exposure to gambling ads, especially among vulnerable groups. But existing contracts allowed campaigns to remain visible. The level of spending highlights challenges in making good of policy pledges and turning them into immediate changes.

Gambling advertising has not halted since Khan’s pledge

There has been no decline in advertising campaigns for gambling since Sadiq Khan promised to remove them from the TfL network. The volume of advertising has, instead, accelerated. We see its visibility all over the Underground, Overground, Elizabeth line, DLR and at Victoria Coach Station.

Advertising campaigns are seen by millions of commuters each day, including those in vulnerable groups. Campaigners argue that advertising on public transport is particularly difficult to avoid. To date, seven London councils have called for the Mayor to proceed with the ban.

City Hall scrutiny and the national policy question

Attention turned to discussions at City Hall in the summer of 2025, where the pace of progress on gambling advertising restrictions was questioned directly. In a plenary session, Green Party assembly member Caroline Russell asked the Mayor about commitments made in his 2021 manifesto.

The exchange highlighted a key issue: the absence of a national definition of “harmful gambling advertising.” The Mayor’s office indicated that progress at a regional level may depend on further guidance from central government.

"In his 2021 manifesto, the Mayor made a commitment to address harms caused by gambling
advertising. He said: “given the devastating way gambling addiction can destroy lives and
families, I’ll instruct TfL to bring forward plans to extend the ban to harmful gambling
advertisements on the network”. In March 2024, the Health Committee produced a report ‘Gambling Related Harms in London’.
Recommendation five said: "The Mayor should bring forward proposals in 2024-25 to ban
gambling advertisements on the TfL network.” In the Mayor’s response to this
recommendation, he said he is hoping the Government will provide a “national definition of
harmful gambling advertising” after which he will consider doing something at a regional level.
Are you aware of any discussions the Mayor’s office has had with the Government about this
issue?"  - Caroline Russell's question to Professor Kevin Fenton CBE MBBS, Statutory Health Advisor to the Mayor

For now, the reliance on national evidence and definitions helps explain why TfL advertising restrictions have not moved faster, despite earlier political commitments.

What happens next for gambling ads on public transport?

What happens next is likely to depend less on Transport for London itself and more on developments at a national level. As we understand it, City Hall has signalled that further action on gambling advertising will be considered once clearer national guidance emerges on what constitutes harmful gambling promotion.

In the meantime, gambling advertising on the TfL network will continue in line with existing contractual and policy arrangements. For operators and advertisers, there is considerable uncertainty about when anything will change.