The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) scolded Gibraltar-based gambling company Gala Interactive after investigating and upholding two issues related to an ad for its Gala Bingo brand.
The Gala Bingo advert, which was seen on a online website on May 22nd, 2017 was masked as a fake news, which made its commercial intent unclear. The complainant challenged the ad for not making its commercial intent clear to users, as there was a banner for Gala Bingo placed at the bottom of the page, along with a “Claim to win” button also placed in the text.
On the other hand, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigated whether the advert was irresponsible for suggesting to customers that gambling could be some kind of an escape from depression.
Gala Interactive Ad Investigated on Two Issues
At the time of the investigation, Gala Interactive objected that the ad was not produced by the company itself, but by an affiliate. As revealed by the company, the advert was removed and the agreement with the affiliate was terminated. Moreover, Gala Interactive claimed that all of its affiliates had been warned about the content of such ads.
Still, the Advertising Standards Authority upheld both issues against the company. The advertising regulatory authority explained that it was Gala Interactive that was the beneficiary of the marketing material, despite the fact that the latter was actually produced by a company’s affiliate. The ASA ruled that on the first issue that has been investigated the ad breached CAP Code rules 2.1 and 2.3 related to Recognition of marketing communications. On the other hand, the Authority also ruled that the advert was socially irresponsible, and on this point it breached CAP Code rules related to Gambling (16.1, 16.3, 16.3.3 and 16.3.4).
The Advertising Standards Authority warned Gala Bingo brand that the company must make sure not to release the ad in its current form any more. In addition, the advertising regulator also reminded the operator that it bears responsibility for its marketing communications, including for the ads prepared by its affiliates, and it must make sure that all ads of the brand are prepared in a socially responsible way.
”Fake News” Gambling Advertising
As Casino Guardian has previously reported, the problem with “fake news” advertising in the gambling market has escalated lately. The so-called “fake news” are being used by all kinds of companies, including gambling operators, to guarantee their marketing and advertising campaigns are successful.
More and more gambling operators have been lately implementing fake news advertising in their native ads policy, so that they could attract new customers. In this sense, fake news have become an integral part of the marketing campaigns of gambling operators, as the latter have been aimed at attracting potential players in the native way.
In the middle of September, the Advertising Standards Authority has rebuked four gambling operators, including Ladbrokes, Sky Vegas, 888 UK and Casumo for using socially irresponsible advertising practices that were also misleading to their potential customers. The advertising regulatory body has found that the afore-mentioned companies have used fake news as native ads in order to lure new customers. Now, Coral Interactive has become one of the companies scolded by the ASA for misleading advertising practices by using fake news as part of its marketing campaign.
- Author
Olivia Cole
