INVERCLYDE MP Ronnie Cowan insists new gambling laws must address advertising to have any chance of tackling the scourge of addiction and saving lives.

The SNP man was previously involved in a successful campaign to reduce stake limits on fixed odds betting terminals in bookmakers' shops.

Mr Cowan said: "Advertising is the thing that through its exposure to children potentially creates the addicts of the future.

"It normalises gambling as part of day-to-day life and that is wrong.

"Gambling adverts should be banned at sports events, not just on sports kits, but throughout stadia.

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"There are estimated to be hundreds of suicides in the UK each year as a result of gambling debts ruining lives."

His comments come ahead of the screening in Inverclyde of a powerful film on the scourge of gambling addiction.

One Last Spin, which features interviews with recovering addicts, and input from the Inverclyde MP, is to be shown on Friday May 26 at the Inverkip Hub at 2pm.

Mr Cowan said: "Only by listening to the lived experience of people will we have a chance of protecting future generations.

"I would urge anyone involved in local government, public health, or who has been affected by addiction, to come to the screening of One Last Spin."