ASA chief harbours “concerns” over bookie ads

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) chief executive Guy Parker has told EGR Intel the regulator has “concerns” over the advertising of gambling promotions, and warned bookies they face reputational damage if found to be breaking the rules.

Taking part in an exclusive Q&A, which can be viewed here, Parker refuted any suggestion the ASA applied stricter rules to the regulation of gambling ads, although said the volume of investigations in 2016 was “too high”.

Last year, the ASA received a total of 1,804 complaints in relation to 730 adverts, however, only 43 resulted in formal investigations, with 38 ads banned.

“That’s 5% of the gambling ads about which we received complaints, which doesn’t sound too high,” Parker said, “but it’s also 9% of the total number of formal rulings – upheld and not upheld – that we published last year against ads in any sector.  That’s too high,” he added.

The numbers equate to less than three complaints per advert, with many having received just one complaint – often lodged by a rival bookmaker.

“We don’t play a numbers game,” Parker said. “An ad may prompt 1,000 complaints but if there doesn’t appear to be grounds to ban the ad, we won’t. But if, on the strength of one complaint, we consider that an ad might break the rules, we’ll look into it.

“Competitors can and do monitor each other’s ads and lodge complaints with us,” he added.

“But again, that doesn’t guarantee we’ll launch an investigation. Firstly, they have to have shown that they’ve tried to resolve the dispute direct with their competitor. If they can’t, then we’ll assess the complaint.”

ASA chief executive Guy Parker says he’s concerned by free bet advertising (Photo©John Cassidy The Headshot Guy®)

Parker also believed current sanctions were strong enough to deter bookmakers and advertisers from publishing ads that may breach the code, with publicity around ad bans having the potential to cause costly reputational damage.

“I’ve yet to meet an advertiser who enjoys having their ad banned,” Parker said.

“An ASA investigation is time consuming and, ultimately, if an ad is banned it costs time and money having it removed. It can also put the brakes on planned activity if a campaign was scheduled to continue down the creative route that was found to break the rules.

“Then there’s the negative publicity for the brand, through media coverage, as well as the broader opprobrium in the court of public opinion. That’s not something I’m aware that any responsible betting or gaming company actively seeks.”

Gambling adverts are currently under scrutiny from the Department for Culture Media & Sport (DCMS) as part of its Triennial review, as well as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is looking into the “fairness” of the industry.

And Parker confirmed the ASA was playing a role in those reviews but made clear there was no ‘ganging up’ of authoritative bodies against the gambling industry.

“We’re interested in regulating gambling ads through the Advertising Codes, to make sure they’re responsible. We’re not interested in plotting to justify tighter regulation,” Parker said.

“But the gambling industry is under the spotlight and the ASA is involved in discussions with DCMS, the CMA and the Gambling Commission around the Gambling Review. There’s nothing sinister in that. It’s important that as the advertising regulator we have a voice at the table.”