ASA Bans Five Social Casino Ads for Misleading Claims
Expertise: iGaming, Online casinos
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The banned ads promoting the following companies, SpinX Games Ltd, Dataverse Co Limited, Huuuge Global Limited, Mobee Co Ltd, and Zeroo Gravity Games LLC were paid marketing on the social media app TikTok.
According to the ASA, the ads did not clearly disclose that the games were social casino-based, leading consumers to believe they could win real cash.
An example is Zeroo Gravity Games’ Cash Tornado App, which used slot gameplay imagery and sound effects and phrases like “hitting the jackpot,” which the ASA deemed misleading and associated with gambling.
The ASA ruled that the five companies violated the UK’s CAP Code, specifically rules 3.1, which prohibits marketing communications that materially mislead consumers, and 3.3, which requires no omission of material information in ads.
As a result, the regulator banned the ads in their current form and warned the companies to avoid misrepresenting social casino games as offering real-world rewards or implying real cash or tangible prizes in their ads.
Mobee was particularly criticized for breaching rule 1.7 by failing to respond to inquiries in a timely manner, causing an unreasonable delay in the ASA’s investigation, which the body regarded as an “apparent disregard” for the CAP Code.
TikTok also removed the ads from its platform, citing a breach of its social casino games ad policies, prohibiting comparisons to gambling or promising real-money wins.
ASA to Investigate Gambling Memes
The latest action adds to the growing list of ASA’s banned advertisements as it continues to crack down on misleading paid-for gambling ads.
Recently, the ASA announced an investigation into the use of memes by gambling operators to promote their businesses. The regulator was prompted to investigate the advertising tactic due to concerns raised by gaming organizations about its impact on minors and other research findings.
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