Poll: Are UK advertising rules too restrictive?
As CAP updates its advertising code, we ask if advertising in the UK is too complex and restricting creative marketing
In the past few days the UK’s Committee of Advertising Practices (CAP) updated its code on gambling marketing following a proliferation of complaints and a number of ASA rulings on the issue in the past few months.
Last year CAP revealed that 91% of complaints made to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) regarding “misleading” free bet adverts had been upheld over the past four years.
The revamped guidelines saw CAP clarifying its position on areas such as the protection of children from advertising, specifically the use of cartoon characters in adverts.
And while the core protection principles underlying the CAP codes are welcomed by all responsible operators, the addition of restrictions over free bet advertising are yet another potential minefield for operators already facing a complex and restrictive advertising framework.
Recent months have seen the likes of bet365, 888, Mr Green, Coral and BetBulter reprimanded by the ASA for a range of advertising code breaches.
The crackdown on offending advertisements comes as recent research by Ofcom showed that the volume of gambling adverts on television had increased six-fold since advertising laws were relaxed in 2007.
A total of 1.4m gambling ads were screened during 2012 representing 4.1% of all adverts shown and many observers expect advertising to reach a peak in 2014 as operators gear up for the upcoming point of consumption tax.
With all this in mind, this week we ask whether UK gambling advertising guidelines are too restrictive or if you feel more needs to be done in order to protect consumers.
Have your say on the right-hand side of the page.