Gala Interactive ad banned for social responsibility failings
ASA dismisses Betfair ad complaints over use of “underage” actor
Gala Interactive and Betfair adverts have become the latest to be investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over concerns relating to social responsibility issues.
An advert for Gala Interactive, first aired on 5 May, featured a man playing on his tablet while spinning a plate and had narration that stated: “Ah, the tell-tale signs of a Gala Spins fan. A whirly spin of fun and games, just like the new Britain’s Got Talent Slingo game. Try it now and see if you’ve got the talent. Galaspins.com – now that’s Spincredible.”
A complainant challenged whether the ad depicted gambling as a game of skill rather than chance and, as such, was socially irresponsible.
In response, Gala said the narration “… see if you’ve got the talent” was a reference to the Britain’s Got Talent TV programme and it did not feel the line implied talent or skill was involved in playing any games on galaspins.com, all of which were games of chance.
The ASA’s assessment accepted Gala’s response but said the brand had failed to recognise the ad was an invitation to gamble online and as a result, the advert was deemed socially irresponsible and ordered to be removed.
Investigations into Betfair focused on the depiction of a player that appeared to look under 25 in two separate advertisements. The clips, which aired on the 5 July 2018, were challenged by complaints suggesting it breached existing ASA rules by featuring someone who appeared to be under the age of 25 in a gambling ad.
In response, Betfair confirmed the actor was 27 years old and provided his date of birth. Clearcast, the agency which commissioned the advert, claimed that the actor “conveyed a mature and responsible demeanour.”
The complaints were subsequently dismissed and the adverts have continued to air.