The UK Advertising Standards Authority has acted against William Hill, Bell Fruit Casino and Kwiff for advertising violations.
The ads in question had an inappropriate appeal to children and encouraged irresponsible gambling, the authority said.
William Hill Vegas was penalized for an ad which appeared within the app New MarioKart 8 Trick, that included the text “William Hill Vegas … All Online Vegas Games 200% Up To £200 Bonus William Hill Vegas” and an install button.
A complaint filed with the authority said the ad may have been targeting children using an app like New MarioKart 8 Trick—based on the popular video game.
William Hill said it was simply using a Universal App Campaign product from Google to distribute the ad, which did not allow it to specify targets other than by location. Also, since gambling was a restricted product, the Google ads were limited to serve only those who specified their age to Google and were over 18. The company also argued that despite the aps connection to the video game, it is mostly played by adults.
The ASA accepted that New MarioKart 8 Trick was not children’s media, but “considered its audience would likely have included under-18s.”
The agency ruled that William Hill s could have used additional interest-based factors to reduce the likelihood of under-18s seeing the ad. It also said it could have set more account exclusions via the Universal App Campaign, which would have prevented the ads from appearing in particular types of apps or websites.
The ASA told Hills not to use the as again without “further, specific targeting to minimize the likelihood of under-18s being exposed to it”.
A similar complaint was also made against Greentube Alderney Ltd, trading as Bell Fruit Casino, with one individual complaining that an advert for its gambling app was seen by their seven-year-old son in the Dude Perfect 2 app.
Greentube Alderney also said it used the Google network and the Universal App Campaign product and said “they believed that they had taken all steps to ensure that their ads were strictly served to users over the age of 18”.
The agency concluded that the app was drawing a larger under-18 audience than the company estimated.
The agency ruled that “the ad must not be used again without further, specific targeting to minimize the likelihood of under-18s being exposed to it,” with Greentube Alderney Ltd reminded to ensure that their ads were appropriately targeted in future.
Finally, a complaint filed with the agency contended that an ad from operator Kwiff used text and language that “portrayed, condoned or encouraged gambling behavior that was socially irresponsible or could lead to financial, social or emotional harm”.
Eaton Gate Gaming, trading as Kwiff, said “the ad was intended to show how real customers felt and experienced the app and it did not present gambling in any way that could be considered irresponsible”.
The authority noted that “each of the customers featured in the ad were men and that some appeared to be in their late 20s or early 30s. We understood that younger men (aged 18–34) were at heightened risk of irresponsible gambling behavior, and we considered that ads which appealed to that audience … needed to take particular care in their messaging”.
The ad must not appear again in its current form and Kwiff was told to ensure in future that they did not condone or encourage betting in ways that could be financially, socially or emotionally harmful.
