Coral and Rank hit with ASA censures over advertising violations

Coral and Rank Group have been ordered to pull mobile and TV ads after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found the operators breached the advertising watchdog’s social responsibility codes of practice. Two complaints received concerning Coral centred around a March 2022 TV ad which featured footage of a tightly contested horse with cropped close-up shots of the spectators. Other shots featured a lively commentator standing up from his seat, a man rushing through the crowd, the starter shouting commands, and a jockey sitting upright on his horse after finishing. The voice-over, accompanied by shouts from the crowd, the sound of hooves on the track, and dramatic music, stated, “Exciting, isn’t it? When your horse wins by a nose. But if that’s exciting, how about three furlongs ago? Look, look, any horse could win. How about now, when your horse is under starters orders? How long have you waited for those gates to crash open? But that’s nothing. What about earlier still? Your horse is the only horse that matters. Coral. Get closer to the action.” Complainants challenged whether the ad breached the rules by portraying, condoning or encouraging gambling in a socially irresponsible way or could lead to financial harm. The two complaints were upheld against the firm, as the ASA found that the advert breached BCAP Code rules 1.2 (responsible advertising), 17.3 and 17.3.1 (gambling). The regulator found that whilst the ads did not explicitly encourage people to gamble, the phrases used in the ad, such as “your horse” and the fact the horses and track were decked out in Coral banners, implied that betting with Coral was an integral part of the horseracing experience. “Because we considered there was a significant risk of the ad disproportionately affecting a vulnerable group, we concluded that it was socially irresponsible. It portrayed, condoned, or encouraged gambling behaviour that was socially irresponsible or could lead to financial, social or emotional harm,” the ASA said. In its ruling, the ASA stated that the ad must not appear in its current form, with Coral ordered to ensure future ads were socially responsible and did not feature any implication of behaviours linked to problem gambling. Complaints concerning Rank Group revolved around an in-app advert for the mobile casino game Wolf Gold, which was seen in the Lucky Night mobile gaming app in May 2022. A complaint challenged whether the ad was irresponsible and implied that gambling could provide a solution to financial concerns and provide financial security something which breached CAP Codes 16.1, 16.3, 16.3.1 and 16.3.4 (Gambling). Delivering its assessment, the regulator suggested claims including “start to earn … and make a lot of money” inferred to consumers that the product on offer could be used to earn money and, therefore, could become a regular source of income rather than gambling. Responding to the ASA’s query, Rank blamed one of its affiliates, WakeApp, which had prepared the advert for publication, with the casino operator suggesting that they had not been involved in the publication or production of the content. Rank told the ASA that they had raised the matter with WakeApp, and made it clear that the nature of the content was unacceptable, and in contravention of their own internal policies regarding advertising. The firm said its terms and conditions for affiliates only permitted the use of copy provided by Rank, or copy created by an affiliate which Rank then directly approved, and that WakeApp had not adhered to that process when creating the ad. Rank said that since being made aware of the ad, it had terminated its working relationship with WakeApp. The ASA has ordered that the ad must not appear again in its current form. The regulator also informed Rank that this includes ads proposed for publication by affiliates.