The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned adverts from five gambling operators using data collected by avatars simulating children’s online browsing behaviour. For the first time, the ASA used monitoring technology to create online profiles that tracked the adverts being served to children as young as six over a two-week monitoring. Gambling advertisers must take all reasonable steps to prevent marketing communications from posing a risk to vulnerable groups. They must also ensure that advertising meets general standards of responsibility to protect wider audiences.
UK advertising regulator the ASA has published its latest report on children’s exposure to TV ads for alcohol and gambling, providing exposure figures for 2019.
The UK advertising rules contain scheduling restrictions designed to reduce significantly under-18s’ exposure to ads for age-restricted product categories such as alcohol and gambling. Reflecting that, reporting on exposure data forms part of the ASA’s ongoing commitment to making sure the rules are working effectively to protect children, and young and vulnerable people.
The report reveals a further decline in children’s exposure to all TV ads which is likely to be driven by a decrease in TV viewing amongst children. But it also suggests that children’s exposure to TV ads for alcohol is falling at a faster rate than their exposure to all TV ads. Meanwhile, children’s exposure to gambling advertising on TV has returned to similar levels observed at the beginning of the analysis period (2008).
Further analysis of the TV alcohol advertising exposure data shows that:
- Between 2008 and 2019 children’s exposure to TV alcohol ads has decreased by two thirds, from an average of 2.8 to an average of 0.9 ads per week
- The average number of alcohol ads children saw on TV in 2019 has remained stable and at similar levels to those observed in the four previous years
- Children’s exposure to alcohol ads on TV, relative to adults’, continues to fall from the peak of 41.1 per cent in 2008 to 19.6 per cent in 2019. This means that in 2019, children saw, on average, around one alcohol ad for every five seen by adults
- In 2019, 0.8 per cent of all TV ads seen by children were alcohol ads. This percentage has remained below 1 per cent since 2015
The exposure data on TV gambling ads shows that:
- In 2019, children saw, on average, 2.5 TV gambling ads per week: they saw 2.2 and 2.7 gambling ads on TV per week in 2008 and 2009, respectively
- Children’s exposure to gambling ads peaked in 2013 (at an average of 4.4 ads per week) since when it has decreased by just under half
- Children’s exposure to gambling advertising on TV has remained at similar levels during the last six years, notwithstanding that exposure levels rose slightly in 2018
- Gambling ads made up less than 2 per cent of all the TV ads that children saw, on average, in a week every year between 2008 and 2017. This increased slightly to 2.2 per cent in 2018 and remained at a similar level in 2019, at 2.1 per cent
Although the findings suggest the TV ad rules are continuing to help appropriately limit children’s exposure to age-restricted ads, the ASA is mindful of children’s shifting media consumption habits – likely to be driven by their increasing consumption of online media, such as on-demand and online video use, as well as social media engagement – and the need to remain vigilant in policing ads for age-restricted products in other media, in particular online. In parallel the ASA has been harnessing new technology to proactively monitor children’s exposure to ads online and taking quick and effective action where it identifies any problems.
“Our latest report shows that children’s exposure to TV ads for alcohol and gambling products remains low,” noted ASA Chief Executive, Guy Parker. “We will continue our proactive monitoring to make sure this remains the case for TV ads as well as carrying out further monitoring online so that we limit children’s exposure to age-restricted ads wherever they appear.”
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In its monitoring report covering the period from July to the end of September, the ASA said it identified five betting adverts from three gambling operators across six websites that breached its age restriction guidelines.
This represented a sharp drop on Q2, during which the ASA flagged 70 adverts from four operators on eight websites.
The quarterly monitoring reports form part of a year-long project in which the ASA is monitoring ads served on a sample of over 50 websites and YouTube channels with large underage audiences.
Asa Gambling Advertising Websites
Once ads are identified, the ASA contacts the advertisers to ensure promotions are renewed, and warns them to avoid similar breaches of regulations in the future.
The sweep covers gambling, alcohol, e-cigarettes and tobacco, weight control products and food and soft drinks classified as high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS).
Asa Gambling Advertising Group
In total, the ASA flagged 127 age-restricted ads from 44 advertisers across 27 websites and four YouTube channels that were aimed at or were classed as having the potential to attract a disproportionately large child audience.
Incidentally, gambling was the area of least concern for the ASA in the quarter, behind alcohol with six adverts, 14 related to weight reduction and 102 HFSS ads. No ads for e-cigarettes were picked up during the monitoring period.
ASA chief executive Guy Parker praised the efforts of gambling operators.
“We’re encouraged to see advertisers, most notably in the gambling sector, taking steps to target their age-restricted online ads responsibly,” Parker said. “We expect that trend to continue, particularly amongst HFSS advertisers, throughout the remainder of this project and beyond.
Asa Gambling Advertising Logos
“We’ll continue working with advertisers and taking action where necessary to build a culture of zero tolerance for age-restricted ads appearing on websites aimed at children.”
Asa Gambling Advertising Definition
The clampdown on such advertising comes after the ASA in May said children’s exposure to gambling ads has fallen to 2008 levels.
Its 2019 update on monitoring of children’s exposure to advertising for age-restricted products revealed children saw, on average, 2.5 TV gambling ads per week. This sees the rate of exposure fall to 2008 and 2009 levels, when children saw 2.2. and 2.7 gambling ads on TV, respectively.
Asa Gambling Advertising Definition
In recent weeks, the ASA has issued a number of warnings over age-related concerns with gambling adverts. This week, tipster service Thebettingman was rapped after someone under the age of 25 was featured in an Instagram story that promoted its brand.
Asa Gambling Advertising Websites
Last month, GVC’s Gala Spins was also sanctioned over a social media advert that drew criticism over its potential appeal to children.