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CAP to Tighten Rules for eSports Betting Marketing in Social Media
April 24, 2020 Aleksandra Zolotic
The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) plans to draw attention to comprehensive work it has undertaken around eSports betting marketing in social media. Naming it an emerging area for gambling advertising policy, the Committee stressed out the importance of brainstorming tight rules which would ensure there are no regulatory gaps in consumer protection.
Moreover, the Committee will also update the Gambling Commission on its progress in responding to GambleAware’s research on the impact of gambling advertising in the UK. These two initiatives come as a part of its ongoing commitment to ensure gambling advertising remains responsible.
Warning to UK-Approved Operators
As part of this comprehensive work, the Committee is issuing an Advice Notice to GB-licensed gambling operators.
The main purpose of the Notice…
…is to make clear that eSports betting-related advertising must be compliant with rules that also apply to other forms of gambling-related advertising. As pointed out, it aims to provide guidance for gambling operators on how to stay within the advertising rules when creating marketing for gambling on eSports on social media.
What Does the Advice Notice Say?
Besides giving a precise definition of what constitutes as marketing, the Notice also reminds operators on targeting the specific audience, meaning taking a responsible step not to create ads which could be appealing to the minors.
Here’s what the code says:
“16.1 Marketing communications for gambling must be socially responsible, with particular regard to the need to protect children, young persons and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited.
16.3.2 Marketing communications must not…exploit the susceptibilities, aspirations, credulity, inexperience or lack of knowledge of children, young persons or other vulnerable persons.
16.3.13 Marketing communications must not be directed at those aged below 18 years…through the selection of media or context in which they appear.”
As one of the cases which perfectly illustrates what SHOULDN’T be done is a problematic ad by 32Red, which featured characters that could be of particular interest to children.
Report to GambleAware
Besides undertaking measures related to eSports, the Committee will report fully on its response to the GA’s synthesis report in the autumn.
In the meantime, it will continue to monitor and take action around gambling advertising where it identifies compliance problems. To maximize its efforts, CAP plans to use ad tech to identify non-compliant ads. It will also remain in step with the latest evidence so that there is ongoing protection for vulnerable groups from potential harm.
As a small reminder…
…GA’s research found that 96% of 11-24-year-old participants had been exposed to gambling marketing messages in the last month. Also, those that were shown parts of gambling logos recognized an average of eight out of 10.
Source:
“Responding to new challenges: gambling, eSports and social media”, asa.org.uk, April 23, 2020.
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Even though some may say that they may be overreacting, I still think they are doing an excellent job of making things clear. It’s the only way to make the industry safer.