Five businesses have been targeted by the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for their deceptive social casino game ads. Due to their failure to disclose that their TikTok advertisements did not offer real-money winnings, SpinX Games Ltd., Dataverse Co Limited, Huuuge Global Limited, Mobee Co Ltd., and Zeroo Gravity Games LLC were forbidden from using their platforms.
The advertisements under scrutiny misled people into thinking they could win actual money. For instance, the Cash Tornado app by Zeroo Gravity Games combined captivating sound effects with visuals of slot machine gaming. Particularly when combined with expressions that imply gambling, like “hitting the jackpot,” this was judged deceptive.
The ASA determined these ads violated the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code). Specifically, rules 3.1 and 3.3 were breached. Rule 3.1 prohibits ads that “materially mislead,” while rule 3.3 states that marketers must not omit crucial information that could mislead consumers.
Consequences for Non-Compliance
Mobee faced additional scrutiny for failing to respond to ASA inquiries. The authority labeled this as an “apparent disregard” for the CAP Code, indicating a delay in addressing regulatory concerns. Consequently, the ASA has banned all five companies from running the ads in their current formats.
These measures form part of the ASA’s broader initiative to regulate paid gambling advertisements. The authority insists that the rules against misleading ads are unambiguous. TikTok has also removed the flagged ads, reinforcing its own restrictions on promoting social casino games.
Furthermore, the ASA previously warned bookmaker Geoff Banks Online in July over a misleading promotion. The ad required bettors to reply to a text to qualify for a promotion, a condition not clearly stated.
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