The United Kingdom’s advertising regulatory body recently made a ruling against Kwiff, a branch of Eaton Gate Gaming, due to a promotion displayed on the Portsmouth Football Club’s website. The advertisement, which appeared in December of 2022, showcased a slot machine game featuring bonus rounds, a frequent strategy employed by internet casinos to entice new customers.
The problem? The advertisement was presented alongside information about the “Junior Blues,” a program for young people between the ages of 4 and 17. Although Kwiff maintained that the advertisement wasn’t directly on the Junior Blues registration page and asserted that all 33 individuals who interacted with it were of legal gambling age, the mere closeness to youth-focused material was sufficient to cause concern.
Further complicating matters, the specific webpage included the statement, “Individuals over 18 years of age need not worry, as we offer adult memberships as well,” thus further obscuring the distinction between content intended for adults and that directed at children. This situation underscores the difficulties in preventing gambling advertisements from reaching underage audiences online, even when businesses believe they are adhering to established guidelines.
Eaton Gate Gaming, a business providing gaming memberships, claimed their youth plans were designed for adults. The UK’s advertising regulatory body, the ASA, disagreed. They noted that adolescents in the “Pompey Teen” group (ages 13-17) could readily access the details themselves.
Consequently, both Eaton Gate Gaming and Kwiff, another firm implicated, encountered limitations on advertising placement. The ASA emphasized that upcoming campaigns should not be directed at anyone below the age of 18.
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