SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Numerous gambling operators felt the wrath of The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in its latest round of weekly rulings.
The decisions related to an advert that had been created by affiliate partners of 888, Sky Vegas and Ladbrokes Casino. Casumo Services was also censured for the same promotion.
In total nine complaints were received and upheld by The ASA about the adverts.
The advertising watchdog deemed the adverts were irresponsible as they suggested that gambling could provide an escape from personal problems such as depression, and that it could be a solution to financial concerns.
In each case, the advert was not provided to the operator for clearance and was published by the affiliate, whilst the operator was completely unaware.
This resulted in all three betting companies terminating the agreement with the affiliate in question, stating that the advert breached the terms and conditions that had been agreed upon by the two parties.
The ASA stated: “The ad must not appear again in its current form”, adding that each company’s “future ads, including those prepared by affiliates, must be clearly identifiable as marketing communications and to take care to ensure their ads were prepared in a socially responsible way.”
The rulings come on the back of Sky Betting & Gaming closing its affiliate hub, citing regulatory concerns and will no doubt have other operators weighing up how they can best monitor their affiliate partnerships in a responsible way.
