INSIGHT
MARKETING:
THE FOUNDATIONS OF
A MORE RESPONSIBLE INDUSTRY?
Paula Pusey looks at the growing scrutiny of gambling marketing and explains why it may be more of
an opportunity than a threat
IN AUGUST, THE UK’S Gambling
Commission published updated rules on
advertising, pledging to take “tougher
action” against businesses that contravene
the fair and open licensing objective.
The stricter stance comes hot on the
heels of Italy’s controversial ban on all
gambling advertising and sponsorship.
There is no let up from the media either:
in June, the Daily Mirror ran a front-page
story about a 13-year-old boy who ran up
£80,000 of gambling debts after seeing
promotions at a football match.
For example, BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours
programme analysed the commercial
breaks of 11 matches broadcast on ITV and
found that 62 of the 66 ad breaks during
those games included at least one gambling
advert. In addition, the Advertising
Standards Agency (ASA) are said to be
investigating some 115 complaints.
The Commission’s consultation resulted
in an unprecedented 81 responses from
consumers, leading to changes to the licence
conditions and codes of practice (LCCP),
which will take effect from 31 October, 2018.
“Operators will be nervous about the possibility of
the Commission punishing them on the back of ASA
decisions, which many view as subjective”
If the power of advertising was ever in
doubt, the World Cup would have restored
any client’s faith: it resulted in booming
business, with £2.5bn wagered in the UK
alone during the tournament. Data from
market research firm YouGov suggests
that in the region of six million adults
placed bets during the competition and
two million new accounts were opened.
Much of that increase in betting has been
attributed to sponsorship and advertising.
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iGB Affiliate Issue 70 AUG/SEP 2018
Working alongside the ASA and Committee
of Advertising Practice (CAP), the
Commission has pledged to ensure that
promotions are fair, not misleading and
not targeted at vulnerable people.
It has also said that it will be placing
emphasis on ensuring consumers don’t
receive spam marketing by email or
SMS, and that licensees are responsible
for the actions of third parties, including
marketing affiliates.
“Protecting the interests of consumers
is a priority for us and needs to be a
priority for gambling operators,” says
the Commission’s chief executive, Neil
McArthur. “These changes will protect
consumers from irresponsible advertising
and misleading promotions, ensure that
they can withdraw their money more easily
and will mean that firms have to deal with
complaints more swiftly.”
Wiggin LLP partner and gaming law
specialist Stephen Ketteley says, despite
some criticism, that the Commission is
encroaching on the roles of other UK
regulatory bodies, a multi-agency approach
to consumer protection is most likely to
make the gambling industry up its game.
“Operators will, however, be nervous
about the possibility of the Commission
punishing them on the back of decisions
by the ASA, which many continue to
view as subjective,” he adds. “That’s a
potential source of friction and it will
be interesting to see if the Commission
reserves this card only for the more
flagrant breaches of the advertising codes.”
There is plenty of evidence that
operators are taking this very seriously
and viewing it as a huge opportunity
for gambling businesses to bring in a