Gambling advertising firms could use GPS to target “vulnerable” customers with offers, experts have warned. Firms could use location services to link a customer with ongoing events and send them targeted alerts. The technology raises the prospect of attendees at a football match being sent push notifications encouraging them to bet on the game they are watching. Charity GambleAware said that companies “have the ability to collect significant amounts of customer data, including their location”. “While some progress is being made to use customer data to identify and minimize gambling-related harm, much more needs to be done to tackle unacceptable…

The Church of Scotland has called for a gambling adverts ban, as well as a ban for pay-day loan companies marketing. The “normalization” of gambling has had a “damaging effect on the lives of thousands” across the country, a report from the Church’s society council said. It has been published ahead of the Commonwealth Games and calls for a lasting legacy from the sporting events, particularly for deprived areas. Glasgow 2014 has no such sponsors but Scottish Premiership side Hearts are sponsored by Wonga, while Rangers recently announced a new shirt sponsorship with online casino 32Red. Both would be in…

iGaming Business – Concerns that UK children are being too exposed to online gambling may lead to a tightening of the regulations allowing daytime TV adverts for online bingo sites and pre-watershed advertising for betting sites, the Independent on Sunday newspaper reported this weekend. Maria Miller, the Culture Secretary, “will face calls for an urgent review of the effects on children of a surge in daytime advertising for online bingo, saturation sports betting in football matches, and “free” betting on platforms including Facebook”, the newspaper said. Bingo is widely seen as a communal and leisurely form of gambling and its…

From Dutch News Social media site Facebook has agreed to stop adverts for gambling sites targeting its Dutch users, according to the Dutch gambling authority Kansspelautoriteit. Facebook has agreed to ‘conform to Dutch legislation which states it is not allowed to encourage illegal gambling’, the authority said in a statement. This is an important step in combating illegal gambling and discouraging youngsters from taking up the habit, said spokesman Paul Tang. ‘Facebook is a low threshold social network with easy access to youngsters,’ he said. ‘By taking this step, the organisation is showing it takes its social responsibilities seriously.’ The…