This month, the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has recently announced that it will be banning specified adverts from some of the countries leading gambling operators, William Hill, Monopoly Casino and Paddy Power after breaching advertising guidelines.
Why were these advertisements banned?
In terms of the gambling company behemoth William Hill, the ASA has banned the giant for a particular advertisement that first appeared on social media. The ad, which was initially on Twitter, was a collaboration with the football club Tottenham Hotspur.
The ad involved an image of the team’s starting lineup for the Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund. It was accompanied by the logo of William Hill and a link to the site on Twitter. The Advertising Standards Authority challenged as to whether the advertisement could have been deemed irresponsible.
The main reason it was considered to be irresponsible, was due to the ad featuring Davinson Sanchez and Harry Winks, and both of these players were under the age of 25 at the time of filming.
The problem this posed, was that it breached advertisement guidelines relating to the CAP Code. This regulation states that no one under the age of 25 can be prominent in marketing communications, unless the individuals appear in a place where a bet can be directly placed through a transactional facility.
As all 11 players were the focus of this ad tweet, the ASA denied them all to play a significant role that was equally important in its marketing communication.
In addition, the ad did not appear in a place where a bet could have been placed directly through a transitional facility, therefore for both reasons, ASA deemed that William Hill had acted irresponsibly and banned the ad.
Why was a Monopoly Casino ad banned?
Meanwhile, the ASA banned an advert run by Gamesys subsidiary Entertaining Play (for its Monopoly Casino brand) due to having breached guidelines, in part because the ASA ruled after consideration that it could have appealed to children.
The advertisement first appeared on a Mirror Online website. The CAP code states all gambling ads in the UK are forbidden from having a notable appeal to young persons or children.
The ASA ruled that as Monopoly is a family game, children would easily recognise the character and therefore deemed the ad inappropriate. In addition, the advert featured an image of a cartoon Mr. Monopoly, which the ASA considered to be unacceptable given that it could have appeal to those under the age of 18.
The ASA stated that the gambling firm could no longer show the ad as it was, and that it needed to change in order to be compliant with its advertising guidelines.
Why was a Paddy Power advert banned?
A Paddy Power advert was also recently banned by the ASA, having also received complaints from the general public too. The ad featured Rhodri Giggs being an ambassador for the company’s Rewards Club, drinking champagne and driving aways in a sports car, whilst saying ‘Thanks Paddy’.
Those who complained raised concerns that it glamorised gambling and online casinos, by suggesting that it could help to contribute to a high standard of living.
The ASA ruled that whilst it was clear the advert did not indicate that the success Giggs had was a direct result from gambling, it did nevertheless suggest viewers could follow his lead, and benefit financially by being a part of the Rewards Club. This led the ASA to ban the advertisement.
In addition, the ASA ruled that the ad involving the brother of footballer Ryan Giggs implied to viewers that gambling was able to provide you with financial security, as well as improved self-image. As a result, Paddy Power was ordered to stop showing the ad in its current form.
