Gambling firms have learned their lesson, says ASA chairman

The new chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) believes gambling firms have learned a lesson from the sanctions imposed by the regulator over the last few months.

Lord David Currie, who was appointed at the beginning of October, told Marketing Week the ASA had been “quite tough” on operators, after banning ads from the likes of Ladbrokes, Sky Betting & Gaming, Casumo and 888 that were created by affiliates.

One ad caused particular controversy after suggesting a man could fund his wife’s cancer treatment and cure his depression by playing casino games online.

Each operator claimed the advertorial had been printed without their knowledge or approval, which subsequently led to calls for a closer oversight of affiliate partners.

“There were four that were banned last month where the gambling companies had relied on their affiliates and didn’t really know what was being done on their behalf,” Currie told Marketing Week.

“They have learned their lesson from that. They were in a bad place because they were causing deep offence, but being tough on those sorts of ads is what the ASA can do.”

Currie’s claims are supported by the fact that no operator has been rapped by the ASA since 4 October, when Gala Bingo was sanctioned for the same socially irresponsible advertorial as the other four operators.

The fact that operators are responsible for the actions of their affiliates was recently codified in the updated industry code for socially responsible advertising, published by the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG).

UK operators are required to adhere to the code as part of their licensing agreements.