Culture secretary James Purnell's proposals to allow some internet casinos to advertise on TV is a "recipe for disaster", the Royal College of Psychiatrists has warned.
A report published by the college into the government's strategy on gambling adverts stressed that restrictions on TV advertising should only be lifted once it is certain that the regulations will be successful.
Dr Emanuel Moran, the Royal College of Psychiatrists' specialist adviser on pathological gambling, said: "It's very unlikely that these regulations will be effective."
Moran's criticism comes amid government efforts to clamp down on the more than 1,000 gambling organisations based outside Europe and wishing to advertise in the UK.
A so-called 'white list' has been set up by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to highlight gambling websites regulated in line with UK standards.
Once the Gambling Act comes into force on September 1, firms based in jurisdictions not on the list will be banned from advertising in newspapers and on TV.
Shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt said it was "an extraordinary act of spin for Gordon Brown to portray this as the introduction of a new socially conservative measure".
But Purnell said on Thursday: "I make no apology for banning adverts for websites operating from places that don't meet our strict standards. Protection is my number one priority."
Earlier this week, the government announced plans to ban gambling adverts from appearing on children's replica football shirts.
And figures collected by the Gambling Commission show a rise in the number of adults taking part in online gambling activities during the 12 months ending June 2007, with 8.6 per cent recorded saying they gambled via the internet compared with 7.4 per cent a year earlier.
