Who: The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and LC International LTD t/a Gala Spins (Gala Spins)
Where: United Kingdom
When: 28 October 2020
Law stated as at: 6 November 2020
What happened:
A paid-for social media post for Gala Spins was challenged on whether the content of the ad was likely to be of particular appeal to children.
The ad featured the caption “IT’S A ROLLERCOASTER OF CUTENESS!” and included a video with a voice-over asking “What’s your spin?”. It also included in the video, text that stated “Fluffy Favourites” and five toy animals.
While the ASA noted that the ad had not been seen in an age-gated environment and that, outside of this environment, Gala Spins had taken steps to target to ad to 18 and 65 year olds only, the ASA understood that this targeting had only been based on users who had self-reported their age.
The ASA considered that the steps taken by the Gala Spins to age-gate their ad could not ensure that under-18s, who falsely reported their age, were not exposed to the ad.
Following this, the ASA considered whether the ad complied with the CAP Code’s requirement that gambling ads must not be of particular appeal to children.
The ASA considered that the cartoon-like imagery of five stuffed toy animals alongside the ad’s caption “IT’S A ROLLERCOASTER OF CUTENESS!” and the game’s name “Fluffy Favourites”, was likely to greatly appeal to under-18 year olds.
The ASA concluded that the ad was irresponsible and in breach of the CAP Code.
Why this matters:
It is important to remember that the CAP Code states that gambling ads must not be likely to be of particular appeal to children or young persons, especially by reflecting or being associated with youth culture.
Additionally, gambling ads cannot therefore appeal more strongly to under-18 year olds than they did to over-18 year olds.
