Who: The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Skill On Net Ltd t/a Gecko Play (Gecko Play)
Where: United Kingdom
When: 8 April 2026
Law stated as at: 5 May 2026
What happened
The ASA upheld complaints against a paid-for social media ad for the gambling website Gecko Play. The ad, seen on 1 February, featured a stand-up comedian performing a set on stage saying: “Gambling is really like eating pistachios, if you get a good pistachio, you want another good one, if you get a bad one, you want a good one even more.” The joke was met with audience laughter. The bottom of the video contained the GambleAware logo, an 18+ sign and text stating “Gambling can be addictive please play responsibly”, alongside the hashtag #AD.
Complainants challenged whether the ad encouraged gambling behaviour that was socially irresponsible.
In its response, Gecko Play said that the analogy between gambling and eating pistachios was intended as “light-hearted, observational humour regarding the variability and unpredictability of outcomes”. It maintained that the ad was not intended to encourage persistent gambling or to suggest that individuals should continue gambling to recover losses, and that it did not refer to financial loss, increasing stakes, risk-free gambling or excessive participation. However, Gecko Play accepted that the overall impression could be interpreted differently and that the ad could be seen as breaching the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct and Promotional Marketing (CAP Code). Gecko Play confirmed that it had removed the ad and updated its internal marketing guidance.
The ASA upheld the complaints. The CAP Code states that gambling ads must not portray, condone or encourage gambling behaviour that is socially irresponsible or could lead to financial, social or emotional harm. CAP’s guidance on “Gambling advertising: responsibility and problem gambling” requires marketers to take care to avoid trivialising gambling and giving the impression that the decision to gamble should be taken lightly, for example by not encouraging repetitive participation.
The ASA considered that the pistachio analogy would likely be understood by consumers to mean that gambling was compulsive and hard to stop. In particular, the reference to wanting a “good one even more” following a “bad one” was likely to be understood as an implied reference to making further bets to secure a win after a loss. The ASA also considered that the use of a stand-up comedy routine, followed by audience laughter, presented the message in a light-hearted way which trivialised repeated gambling. Although the ad included disclaimers, the ASA did not consider that these elements altered the overall impression of the ad.
The ASA therefore considered that the ad gave the impression that the decision to gamble, even in the face of losses, should be taken lightly and that it encouraged or condoned repetitive or frequent participation in gambling, including after losses. The ASA concluded that the ad was likely to encourage harmful gambling behaviour.
Why this matters
This ruling serves as a reminder to gambling operators and advertisers that humour does not insulate advertising content from regulatory scrutiny. The ASA will look beyond the intended tone of an ad and assess the likely consumer interpretation. Advertisers in the gambling sector should ensure that creative content, including comedy or analogies, does not trivialise gambling or imply that continued gambling after losses is normal or desirable. The inclusion of responsible gambling messaging alone will not be sufficient to fix an otherwise non-compliant ad.
