Asa Gambling Advertising
In a bid to address this problem, the ASA, the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), the Gambling Commission, and the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) wrote a joint letter, in 2017, to over 450 online gambling operators urging them to remove gambling ads that may appeal to those under 18. The purpose of the Gambling Advertising Code (Code) is to ensure that gambling advertising is conducted in a manner that demonstrates a high standard of social responsibility. All gambling advertisements must be legal, decent, honest and truthful and respect the principles of fair competition. Apr 09, 2020 The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has called on the British public to report gambling ads that refer to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis, pledging swift action against those that breach advertising rules. Gambling Advertising Code Every ad a responsible ad www.asa.co.nz Effective 5 August 2019 for new ads Effective 4 November 2019 for all ads. The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has called on the British public to report gambling ads that refer to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis, pledging swift action against those that breach advertising rules.
The Advertising Standards Authority has found that the gambling industry has made considerable improvements in protecting under age viewers from being exposed to gambling-related adverts. It has published the results as part of its latest findings from a second round of online monitoring sweeps.
According to the BGC’s advertising code, all operators must restrict their gambling content on social media platforms using age-filters. ©Tracy Le Blanc/Pexels
Gambling Operators Target Ads Better
According to the Advertising Code, advertisers must ensure that age-restricted adverts are not targeted at underage audiences. However, the ASA has found that some advertisers fall foul of this rule, with some sectors being particularly negligent. The ASA carried out its initial monitoring sweep in the summer, to assess how many advertisers were targeting age-restricted adverts at children.
That first probe discovered that some age-restricted products such as gambling, alcohol, tobacco and junk food were advertised on platforms widely used by children. In fact, the gambling sector was found to be the worst offender, with four operators showing 70 betting adverts on eight websites viewed by young people.
Since then, advertisers have been asked to clean up their act, and the ASA has committed to carrying out further monitoring sweeps to keep tabs. Now the standards body has published the results of its second monitoring sweep, and it seems that improvements have been made. In particular, the number of breaches coming from the gambling industry has fallen drastically.
The ASA’s latest sweep found that this time around just three operators had fallen foul of the rules, showing five betting adverts across six websites viewed by young audiences. On top of that, no breaches were recorded on YouTube channels. Guy Parker, chief executive of the ASA, is pleased at the progress that the gambling industry has made in regards to targeting its advertising correctly. He said:
“We’re encouraged to see advertisers, most notably in the gambling sector, taking steps to target their age-restricted online ads responsibly. We expect that trend to continue, particularly amongst HFSS advertisers, throughout the remainder of this project and beyond. We’ll continue working with advertisers and taking action where necessary to build a culture of zero tolerance for age-restricted ads appearing on websites aimed at children.”
Fast Food Fares Badly
These results show significant improvement and come in part thanks to the efforts of the Betting and Gaming Council, which represents the UK’s casinos, betting shops and online operators. Part of its mission is to make sure that standards within the industry remain high. To this end, in October it unveiled its “Sixth Industry Code for Socially Responsible Advertising”. Through tightening its advertising code, the BGC aims to safeguard children and vulnerable adults from being exposed to gambling harms.
All BGC members have agreed to hold themselves to the standards set by this new code, which specifies that all social media campaigns must only be targeted at audiences over the age of 25. Further to this, the BGC emphasized its no-nonsense attitude to underage advertising, requiring all gambling-related content on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to be restricted with age verification filters. Speaking in a press release at the time of the announcement, chief executive of the BGC, Michael Dugher said:
“BGC members have a zero tolerance attitude to under-18s betting, and from requirements for safer gambling messages to restrictions on YouTube advertising, this new code shows how seriously the BGC, who represent regulated betting but not the National Lottery, take our responsibilities.”
As a result of the gambling industry’s marked improvement in targeting its advertising at age-appropriate audiences, the ASA will be shifting its focus onto the fast-food industry, which has fared less well. It found that 102 different ads for products high in fat, salt or sugar from 35 advertisers appeared on 27 websites and four YouTube channels. However, roughly half of these breaches were for products like cooking sauces and olive oil that are unlikely to appeal to children.
Other breaches uncovered by the monitoring sweep were found in adverts for alcohol and slimming products. Six different alcohol adverts from four brands featured on two websites and three YouTube channels, while two advertisers were responsible for 14 weight reduction ads on eight websites and one YouTube channel. The sweep did look out for breaches in e-cigarette adverts, but found none.
The ASA is not the only body that has been putting the gambling industry under pressure to do better. In September, the gambling regulator issued fresh guidance for Facebook users wanting to filter out gambling adverts. For those who have experienced gambling problems, encountering gambling ads on social media can be triggering. With the help of the UKGC’S guidance, users can easily hide gambling ads from their newsfeeds and opt out of specific advertising topics.
There have been calls from MPs to crack down on gambling adverts in the UK. In particular, the prevalence of betting sponsorship in football has become a particularly hot topic, with some campaigners calling for a ban on bookmakers sponsoring players’ shirts. A recent survey, carried out by Survation, even found that a third of fans are put off buying shirts that feature betting sponsorship, For now, gambling advertising is allowed to continue within sports, although with many clubs walking away from deals with betting companies, it is clear that the tide is turning.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has urged the local people to file reports about gambling adverts that make reference to the coronavirus crisis and promised to take swift measures against those who breach advertising code rules.
The regulatory body explained that the way online gambling services are conducted, including the frequency and nature of their advertising, was a matter of paramount priority when it comes to regulation under the ongoing pandemic.
According to the ASA, the massive lockdown has resulted in the establishment of what the regulator described as a captive audience, with many people being concerned and uncertain about the future, not to mention that many Brits are facing financial difficulties because of the situation. What the regulator is concerned about, is the possibility that some of them may recognise gambling as an escape from the situation and face gambling-related harm.
The national lockdown experienced in the UK because of the coronavirus outbreak had already made the advertising regulator launch a reporting process to get notified about any Covid-19-related claims in adverts. Now, it has reminded that gambling was no different than that. That is exactly why the Advertising Standards Authority encouraged members of the public to report gambling adverts referring to the Covid-19 pandemic or any related matters.
Advertising Watchdog Reminds That Gambling Companies Should Not Take Advantage of Their Customers
According to the advertising watchdog, ads that feature themes or claims regarding a particular situation or concern during the nationwide lockdown should be reported, too. The regulatory body explained that adverts following such an approach would raise compliance concerns, and the present situation is even more serious, so the ASA would take action against irresponsible messaging in gambling advertising.
In order to do that, the advertising watchdog plans to continue its cooperation with the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) to identify issues and enforce compliance. On the other hand, the regulator is also set to monitor advertising within the gambling sector for a range of different matters in the coronavirus crisis’ context. The watchdog further noted that it recognises adverts that make references to problem gambling indicators or make gambling look like a normal, everyday activity, as being particularly concerning.
In addition, adverts that suggest gambling as a form of an escape from the reality, refer to customers’ personal problems, or seek to take advantage of customers’ financial concerns, will also fall under the scope of the regulatory efforts.
The ASA revealed that gambling companies are warned to be particularly careful when it comes to being in line with the Advertising Codes and to making sure they do not take advantage of people’s vulnerabilities. The regulator will also continue making efforts to protect underage individuals from being targeted by gambling advertising and from being encouraged to gamble.
Asa Gambling Advertising Websites
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