The Advertising Standards Authority in the United Kingdom has recently published its new report on the state of advertising in the gaming industry. It has underlined a number of issues which need to be addressed.
The review was partly done to analyze how the marketing activities of UK-based gaming companies have changed after the reforms that took place in 2007. They allowed more freedom in the creation of advertisements. This, in turn, led to a significant increase in the number and frequency at which ads appeared.
The ASA stated that gambling operators should be more socially responsible and gambling-related advertisements should be thoroughly inspected as they might have negative impact on children.
The research was conducted by the ASA together with the Research Works Agency. The independent agency found out that UK citizens agreed with the position of the ASA, and thought it successfully covered their concerns of what gaming ads should include.
In other words, local communities seem to support the ASA in its work, and to show their approval of how it handles issues, such as the scandalous Paddy Power ad, which featured Oscar Pistorius. The advertisement showed support to Oscar Pistorius, a Paralympic medalist, who allegedly murdered his girlfriend on February 14, 2013. It included a controversial logo saying that if Pistorius did not get sentenced, the company would give back its customers’ money.
There were more than 5,500 complaints filed by UK citizens, a record high for 2014, which made the ASA ban the ad even before finishing its own analysis of it. The agency labeled it as offensive. Despite the fact that it gained the likes of many UK citizens, it shared there was more to be done to improve its reputation.
What is more, the ASA has further addressed certain transparency issues, and the clarity with which promotional messages such as ‘free bets’ are supposed to be used by gaming companies. It also stressed on the fact that many operators still use ad topics with keywords, such as ‘recklessness’ or ‘toughness’, which the agency prohibited.
The independent regulatory body reported that it will take better actions against advertisements that do not meet its requirements.
Guy Parker, CEO of the agency, stated that it is working hard on keeping its current standards, and will do its best to maintain its position as an important regulator in the gambling industry. He said that the ASA is satisfied with the results showing that the public supports its work. Yet, according to him, there are a number of areas it can focus its attention on, so to make the gambling-oriented advertising campaigns in the UK more responsible and transparent.
The ASA review is one of four reviews that the Government has released this year. They all include information about the plans of both CAP and BCAP to implement certain changes in their rules. The Gambling Commission has also focused on improving the use and definition of the terms ‘free bets’ and ‘bonus offers’ in any gaming-related marketing products.
