ASA Upholds Complaint over Betfred Advert on the Roku Channel
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the media regulator in the United Kingdom, has announced it has upheld its decision against an advertisement from the gaming operator Betfred which follows an appeal by the UK bookmaker.
The ASA criticized an advertisement from Betfred earlier this year, claiming that it appeared to appeal to minors under 18. The decision was based on an advertisement from Betfred, which was aired on media platforms and promoted Betfred's Live Casino offering.
The advert was shown on the Roku Channel during a program called PrestonPlayz, and the ASA raised concerns about the context of the promotion on the media platform and said it was likely that it could be seen to be targeting audiences under 18.
Betfred’s Argument on Appeal
Betfred exercised its right to appeal the original judgment, and one of the arguments used by one of the most popular UK online casinos and bookmakers was that the company had taken the appropriate steps to meet compliance standards laid out by the gambling industry in the UK.
Betfred insisted it had given clear instructions to Roku that the advert should not be shown on the media platform during a program that targets a youth customer audience.
The Roku media platform uses a "Made for Kids" labeling system that is attached to content aimed at those under 18s, and the PrestonPlayz program was not specifically targeting children.
ASA Upholds Complaint
The ASA said it upheld the complaint and cited that it believed the program PrestonPlayz was targeted directly at under 18s and the advertisement was likely to appeal to children.
There was also insufficient data on the demographic of the audience on the program on the Roku channel, and Betfred must take a more proactive role in finding out the target audience who are likely to watch the adverts.
The ASA also issued guidance to Betfred and said the advert should not be shown without appropriate compliance measures being followed. Also, the use of advertisements by Betfred in the future should not target the under-18 audience.
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