The United Kingdom’s advertising regulatory body, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), recently made a judgment against a promotional piece by Kwiff, a branch of Eaton Gate Gaming. This advertisement was featured on the Portsmouth Football Club’s website. The concern? UK promotional guidelines are unambiguous: wagering promotions should not be directed at individuals below the age of 18.
The specific promotion, which ran on December 15th, 2022, highlighted a “Win a maximum of 200 Complimentary Spins on Book of Dead!” deal. It urged users to “Wager £20 and receive 40 Complimentary Spins each day for 5 days” and to “Register with Kwiff today.” Seems appealing, no?
The dilemma arose from the location of this gambling advertisement: embedded within an article about the “Junior Blues,” a membership scheme designed specifically for youngsters aged 4 to 17. Not precisely the intended demographic for a gambling campaign.
Eaton Gate Gaming justified their actions by stating, “Look, the advertisement was solely in the news area of the website, not directly on the Junior Blues page!” They also cited monitoring information indicating that all 33 individuals who interacted with the advertisement were over 18, having already completed their age confirmation process.
Nevertheless, the ASA remained unconvinced. They deemed it particularly troubling that the same webpage featuring the advertisement also contained the phrase, “If you are above 18, rest assured as we have mature membership options available as well.” This proximity raised concerns about whether the advertisement’s location was genuinely unintentional or a method to circumvent the regulations.
Eaton Gate Gaming, a business providing gaming subscription packages, asserted that their website section for a kids’ subscription was designed for adults. Nevertheless, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) held a different view. The ASA noted that adolescents in the “Pompey Teen” group (13-17 years old) could readily access that page. Consequently, the ASA imposed limitations on Eaton Gate Gaming and Kwiff, their advertising collaborator. These firms must exercise greater caution regarding ad placement and received a warning against directing any upcoming advertisements towards underage individuals.
