Foxy Games hit with ASA sanction as Betfair Casino ad avoids censure

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a paid-for Google search ad for GVC’s Foxy Games brand over claims it encouraged irresponsible gambling. The ad, which featured on Google in July, was displayed when the term “make money online” was searched for and stated “Earn Money Online – Foxy Games – Play Online”. A complainant challenged whether the ad was irresponsible by suggesting consumers could achieve financial security by playing the advertised slots and bingo games. In response, GVC said the ad had appeared as a result of human error and confirmed that action had been taken to remove it. However, the ASA suggested the “Earn Money Online” claim encouraged customers that Foxy Games could be used as a means of generating regular income and achieving financial security. Based on this, the regulator ruled the ad socially irresponsible and ordered its removal. Elsewhere, the ASA cleared a TV ad for Betfair Casino over claims it encouraged irresponsible gambling. The ad, which debuted in July 2020, showed a man rushing to board his plane at an airport as a voiceover stated: “The average time between the final call and boarding closing is 4 minutes and 53 seconds.” The ad continued: “An unofficial fact officially brought to you by Betfair Casino. Because when there’s a chance, there’s always a chance.” It showed the man approach his boarding gate to show a flight attendant his phone screen, which read: MEGA WIN £119.08. A complainant challenged whether the ad was irresponsible for suggesting gambling as a priority in the man’s life by showing him playing in a time-pressured situation after the final call for his flight. In response, Betfair said “great care” had been taken when creating the ad to ensure it conformed to the BCAP code. The Flutter-owned operator claimed the man’s relaxed demeanour implied he was travelling during his leisure time so there was no suggestion that gambling had taken priority in his life over other commitments. “We did not consider that the ad gave the impression that people should gamble in situations where they were genuinely at risk of being distracted from an important task,” the ASA said in its ruling. “We therefore concluded that the ad did not portray, condone or encourage gambling behaviour that was socially irresponsible, or portray gambling as indispensable or as taking priority in life,” it concluded, dismissing the complaint.