Casinos, betting shops and gambling websites will be allowed to advertise on British television and radio under plans due to come into force by 2007, regulators said yesterday.

New laws are due to ease restrictions on gambling advertisements, introduced in the 1960s in an attempt to curb the public's appetite for gambling.

The two industry bodies responsible for writing and enforcing Britain's advertising codes have begun canvassing opinion on how the commercials should be regulated.

They proposed banning advertisements from promoting gambling as a solution to financial problems or from exploiting young people.

Commercials should not link gambling to sexual success or encourage irresponsible behaviour, the proposals added.

"The overriding priority is to ensure that gambling advertisements are socially responsible," said Andrew Brown, chairman of the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP).

Peter Dean, chairman of the Gambling Commission, the public body which regulates the industry, said the guidelines must protect children and other vulnerable people.

The changes in the Gambling Act 2005 are due to come into force in September 2007.

Prime Minister Tony Blair's attempt to modernise Britain's 40-year-old gambling laws have proved controversial.

Some lawmakers in Mr Blair's Labour party opposed the reform, fearing deregulation would lead to an explosion in gambling addicts. The law would allow a number of larger casinos, offering bigger prizes, to be built.

Mr Blair's deputy, John Prescott, faces an official investigation into his contacts with an American billionaire who hopes to open a huge casino in London.