From the beginning of the tournament to England’s semi-final clash with Croatia, ITV carried more than eight and a half hours of advertisements, of which just under an hour and a half were advertising betting. Betfred, Skybet, Betfair, BetVictor, Paddy Power, Bet365, William Hill, Ladbrokes, and Coral were the biggest advertisers in the commercial breaks this World Cup. The research analyzed 11 games broadcast on ITV, each game contained six ad breaks. 62 of the 66 breaks contained one or more gambling advertisements.

The major concern over this advert gambling is that children were also prompted with messages encouraging them to gamble.  A government review of gambling regulation published earlier this year did not give any specific suggestion which can curb gambling adverts, citing insufficient evidence that adverts for betting were causing harm to children and vulnerable people. With an estimated 25,000 children under 16 addicted to gambling, there is nowhere near enough work being done to study the effects of this advertising

According to ITV, nearly 30 million people watched England’s semi-final clash with Croatia. This increased the cost of gambling advertising on the channel because it allowed companies to reach so many people. In the UK, gambling companies are only permitted to advertise before the 9 pm watershed if they do so during live sporting events. Advertising industry sources said a 30-second spot during the semi-final of the World Cup could cost as much as £350,000 but that bookmakers and online casinos were paying a premium to secure blanket coverage.

Viewers of the World Cup on ITV have expressed surprise on social media about the number of gambling advertisements but ITV said there were no more commercials this tournament than in previous ones. There are strict rules surrounding gambling advertising. Adverts must not appeal to children, portray gambling as seductive, or suggest gambling can be a solution to financial problems and get you out of debt. Over the past 12 months Foxy Bingo, William Hill, Ladbrokes, 888, and Casumo have all been fined for breaking advertising rules.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says they have received complaints this year and they always see a jump in complaints during big sports tournaments.

But the watchdog only upholds complaints about the content of commercials, not the volume of them.