Casumo censured by ASA over ad that appeared to potential self-excluders

Casumo has been ordered to take down an online advert by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over claims it was irresponsibly targeted.

The advert in question appeared as a Google sponsored search result in May 2019, appearing when any individual searched the term “how to unsubscribe from all gambling”.

Complainants to the ASA questioned whether the advert was irresponsibly targeted at individuals looking to self-exclude from gambling sites.

When challenged on the targeting of its adverts, Casumo said ads on Google were targeted at individuals who searched for “gambling” or a similar term, including “gambling sites”. The company said it operated a list of excluded terms or combinations but these did not include the word “unsubscribe”.

The firm said argued it was not possible to cover every variation and combination that might arise.

In addition, Casumo considered “unsubscribe” to be associated with being removed from a mailing list, rather than not relating to self-exclusion.

On notification of the compliant, Casumo deactivated the search term and reviewed a wider list of excluded search terms. The company provided this list to the ASA, applying blocks to all their campaigns.

Casumo confirmed to the ASA the list was reviewed and changed based on advice from its compliance team and its responsible gambling strategist, stating its belief the new processes would ensure Google targeting would be socially responsible.

In considering the complaint the ASA deemed anyone searching for “how to unsubscribe from all gambling” would be most likely to be looking for self-exclusion or blocking tools and would therefore be vulnerable to targeting.

The ASA acknowledged Casumo’s efforts, but considered there was a “strong possibility” vulnerable consumers could view the ad and might be influenced by it to gamble. As such, the ASA has ordered the advert removed and warned Casumo it should not appear again in its current form.