Gambling firms are undermining their pledge not to advertise during lockdown by showing “thinly veiled” commercials disguised as social responsibility messages, according to MPs who have urged the government to intervene. The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), whose members make up the vast majority of the UK industry, vowed last month to suspend TV and radio ads in response to concerns that vulnerable people and children were at greater risk during Covid-19 isolation. Instead, starting from last Friday, they promised to air “safer gambling” messages, detailing tools that customers can use to stop themselves losing control, such as cash deposit limits. In a letter to the culture minister, Nigel Huddleston, a cross-party group of MPs examining gambling-related harm said that the spots have proved to be little more than glorified adverts. One, for the casino firm Mr Green, which is owned by William Hill ends: “Enjoy award-winning online casino with Mr Green.” Another, for Sky Betting & Gaming’s casino brand, ends: “That’s why I play at SkyVegas.” It also deploys the industry’s much-criticised safer gambling slogan: “When the FUN stops, stop,” featuring the word “fun” in outsize type. A third commercial, aired on Comedy Central by Paddy Power’s casino brand, appeared to offer no information about player protection measures at all. Rather than using their generic brand names, all three adverts were shown under the banner of the companies’ casino divisions, which are receiving increased traffic in the absence of sporting fixtures, according to recent financial results from several bookmakers. MPs on the all-party parliamentary group on gambling harm, led by Labour’s Carolyn Harris and the former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, said: “These are clearly just forms of advertising under the thinly veiled guise of a social responsibility message.” The group, which includes more than 50 MPs, said the alleged strategy was “a demonstration of the failure of self-regulation by the industry” and called on the government to intervene. The BGC said it was perverse to criticise any increase in safer gambling messages, adding that 50% of gambling ads are not by its members. Bingo and the National Lottery are thought to account for the remainder. The lobby group said that “if prohibitionists were genuinely concerned they would call on other gambling operators to follow the BGC’s lead”. Charles Ritchie of Gambling with Lives, a charity set up by families bereaved by gambling-related suicide, said: “Instead of shouting ‘prohibitionist’ at anyone who wants a properly regulated gambling industry, the BGC should get their own members to act honourably and decently. “The multiple adverts across all commercial TV channels on Saturday shows that the much trumpeted gambling advertising ban is just hypocritical PR and the gambling industry is incapable of self-regulation.” Prof Samantha Thomas, a gambling marketing expert at Deakin University in Australia, said: “All the evidence from areas like alcohol and tobacco tells us that industry educational ads achieve nothing, and can contribute to promoting and normalising the brands. “An especially concerning aspect is that they are actually inviting people to visit their websites. That is still promoting the companies.” BGC members offered to halt broadcast commercials until June, but the promise did not extend to online advertising, where spending is more than three times higher than on TV and radio spots. The Guardian has seen analysis suggesting that several of the UK’s largest brands have increased what they spend to appear at the top of Google’s search results for phrases such as “online casino games” and “poker” since lockdown began. The company that initially showed the data to the Guardian later declined to share it in full because it has gambling industry clients. Paddy Power said it had removed all TV advertising and product-specific sponsorship, as well as enhancing responsible gambling controls. It is understood to have maintained its Comedy Central ad because its Paddy Power Games is a brand rather than a product. It has reversed the decision since being contacted by the Guardian.