THE GOOGLY: I want my son to watch cricket with me but not the betting adverts... it's time for a ban before the watershed

HUW TURBERVILL: I do not want to seem pious. Horse racing gave my grandfather enormous pleasure. I also realise that the gambling industry is a great creator of jobs, and revenue for Her Majesty’s tax collectors. But it has got out of hand

I am one of those once-a-year types, a little flutter on the National will do me fine.

In fact, I have not even done that for several years, since my local bookmakers stopped me going in there because I had my daughter with me, in a pram. I thought that was a bit over-zealous… she was more in to gabbling than gambling.

Thinking about it, however, it was admirable – do not expose youngsters to that environment. It is a shame there is not a little more protectiveness applied when it comes to cricket and football on television.

Yay, cricket is on the telly again, with England playing the third one-day international in Sri Lanka. Boo, after every over we have gambling adverts shoved down our throats.

They are inventive, I will give them that. Acclaimed actors doing moody voiceovers, with people heroically leaping out of jeeps at night; pretty actresses coupled with comedians; slick, sexy, cool movie-style vignettes, set in 007-style lairs… it is a bombardment.

^{Advertising for a gambling website at last year's Ashes}

Yes I want my son to watch the cricket with me. No, I don’t want him to become aware of these companies. Youngsters are addicted to their mobile devices enough as it is. Thankfully in my day if I wanted a bet when I was 18 (in 1990) I had to go into a betting shop. Now you can do it with the press of a button. It terrifies me.

I do not want to seem pious. Horse racing gave my grandfather enormous pleasure. My mum loves watching it. I know a lot of people who enjoy gambling occasionally, with no obvious repercussions.

I also realise that the gambling industry is a great creator of jobs, and revenue for Her Majesty’s tax collectors.

But it has all got out of hand.

"As much as anything, not seeing these adverts during a Test match would save the mute button on my remote control"

Two of my friends have suffered broken marriages, at least partially as a result of gambling debts.

The NHS is struggling to cope with cases of gambling-related mental ill health.

And suicide is the major cause of death for men under the age of 45, with gambling playing a part in many of these cases.

Graham Gooch has just completed a walk across England to raise money to help people with gambling addictions, raising more than £20,000 (Gooch's Coast2Coast); a friend of his took his own life because of gambling debts.

^{Paddy Power and William Hill are behind a betting advert ban before the watershed}

The Labour Party has recently called for a ban on gambling advertising during live sporting events. It also wants to stop people using credit cards to pay for bets and introduce a levy on gambling operators to help pay for treatment.

Yet still the industry finds ways of fighting back.

Formula One has announced a sponsorship and data rights deal with Interregional Sports Group that it says will enable the development of live in-play betting.

And one loses count of the number of Premier League football clubs with betting companies on their shirts.

Italy's government have a proposal going through parliament that would lead to a widespread ban on gambling advertising in sport.

Sky and BT would hate this suggestion, but it is time for a ban on gambling adverts before the watershed?

The chief executive of GVC, the sports betting and gaming group, agrees. Kenny Alexander has joined Paddy Power, Betfair and William Hill in asking the government for this. Though the traditional watershed is 9pm – realistically with football this will have to be extended to 10 – not many youngsters I know dutifully trot off to bed at half-time.

As much as anything, not seeing these adverts during the cricket would save the mute button on my remote control.