ASA Investigating World Cup Gambling Ads

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has announced that it will be looking into complaints about gambling ads on our TV screens during the World Cup, with 115 calls coming in from viewers concerned about ads from the likes of Coral, William Hill and Bet365.

According to the Guardian, this is four times the number of complaints received by the watchdog in the four weeks before the World Cup took place, with the majority relating to the number of commercials that appeared.

The concern is that the ads may have broken new rules intended to crack down on problem gambling. Earlier this year, online gambling firm GVC was fined £350,000 for “repeatedly misleading consumers” with free bonus offers on the same day that the watchdog announced it would be targeting gambling ads.

These rules will forbid ads that appeal to gamblers who have a problem or that are irresponsible with regards to free bet offers.

Those who complained about the World Cup commercials also felt that, as well as the number of ads, it was irresponsible for them to be run when large numbers of children would be watching TV as it could encourage them to start gambling.

An ASA spokesman was quoted by the news source as saying: “The reference to the time sensitivity of odds may be interpreted as a call to act. The promotion of these odds in this format draws strong similarities with the message to ‘bet in play, now!’, which is discouraged in guidance on gambling advertising [relating to] responsibility and problem gambling.”

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