ASA continues clampdown on gambling operators with latest intervention
Watchdog hits out against Happy Tiger Bingo for using an individual who appeared to be younger than 25 in recent marketing materials
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has continued its clampdown on the gambling industry after censuring a TV ad for a small bingo operator.
Happy Tiger Bingo, which is based in Denmark and has held UK licences for bingo and casino since July 2021, was reprimanded after using an individual who appeared to be under the age of 25 in its marketing.
Under the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising, gambling ads must not feature anyone who was, or “seemed to be”, under 25 years of age.
The TV ad, which was broadcast in October and November last year, featured a testimonial from a man described via on-screen text as a “postgraduate student”.
The ad drew one complaint from a member of the public who challenged whether the ad breached the advertising code.
In its response to the complaint, Happy Tiger provided proof of date of birth for the individual in the ad which confirmed he was 25 years old at the time of filming.
The operator argued the man did not have any “features which made him appear younger than his actual age” and his occupation as a postgraduate student was “was unlikely to suggest to the audience that he was under 25”.
As part of the review process, Clearcast, the body that regulates TV advertising in the UK, said it had verified the age of the featured individual before approving the ad for broadcast.
However, Clearcast acknowledged that the reference to the individual being a postgraduate student could suggest he was under 25 years of age, but added that due to only one complaint being raised with ASA, it considered this not to be a “widespread interpretation and the majority of viewers understood that he was 25 years old”.
Nevertheless, despite Happy Tiger and Clearcast’s responses, the ASA decided to uphold the complaint and informed the operator that the ad should not be broadcast again in its current form.
While ASA said it accepted the individual was 25 years old at the time of filming, it did consider the man to have a “youthful appearance”.
ASA also noted that during his statement in the ad he “appeared self-conscious and often used filler words, such as ‘obviously’, ‘like’ and ‘so yeah’” and said viewers may associate this “speaking style and body language with youth and immaturity” and that it could give the impression he was younger than 25.
The watchdog also took umbrage with the “postgraduate student” tagline, arguing viewers were likely to perceive him as a recent graduate, and therefore in his early twenties.
In a statement, ASA said: “We told Happy Tiger not to feature anyone in their ads who was, or seemed to be, under 25 years old, for example, through their physical appearance, behaviour or occupational status.”