Whilst gambling has been an accepted pastime in the UK for some time now, the US was a little slower in making that happen. In fact, different states throughout the US have different rules for gambling & as such it isn’t quite as widely accepted as it is in the UK. Of course, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen and there are plenty of loopholes that allow those that want to place a bet to do so, but it does mean that the way companies need to be able to approach gambling promotions and the advertising of their services in different ways.
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Advertising Gambling in the UK
The UK Gambling Commission and the Advertising Standards Agency have a number of rules in place when it comes to the advertising and promotion of gambling products within the UK. In fact, there is even a pending Government whitepaper that is rumoured to address things like the sponsorship of sporting events by gambling companies and whether there should be a change in the way that that is allowed to take place. The Gambling Commission often revisit the way gambling operates in the UK to ensure that their regulations are up to date and work in line with the way gambling trends in the UK are currently taking place. The gambling industry as a whole is used to having to make adjustments to ensure that they operate under these new rules, no matter how often they are changed or tweaked.
As you might imagine these rules are reasonably extensive and cover a range of rules surrounding the advertising of betting services. Some sections you’ll find within this rule book include:
- The Gambling Industry Code for Socially Responsible Advertising
- Advertising and Sponsorship in Sport
- Young People in Marketing
- Responsible Placement of Digital Adverts
One element of advertising gambling products that the UK is strict on, is who can appear in the adverts. For example, anyone that plays a significant role in any advertisement must be over the age of 25; this includes any celebrities that are featured. However, with new rules in the pipeline, it is likely that famous faces including well-known sports stars are banned from gambling adverts altogether.
All of the rules surrounding gambling in the UK are designed to keep gamblers safe and ensure that the industry promotes responsible gambling where possible. The advertising of gambling products is no exception and as role models could be seen to encourage people to gamble, they’ll soon be removed from adverts completely
Advertising Gambling in the US
You might assume that the US and the UK would operate in similar ways when it comes to promoting gambling but actually the US have some different decisions already in place.
For example, currently, there are no specific rules around sports betting advertising; which is something that has raised a few eyebrows. Most countries have some rules and guidelines in place surrounding what can be said in adverts and who can feature but as yet the US does not. It is worth keeping in mind that sports betting is something that is only just picking up in popularity throughout the US so it could be that the rules catch up as things start to progress, but certainly so far there are no announcements.
Advertising for casino bonuses differs greatly between the US and the UK, although they both have the same purpose – to encourage new players to try out a gambling platform for the first time. However, the regulation of betting and the advertisement of such is a little more complicated in the US than it is in the UK, as different states have their own rules. However, The Supreme Court has recently ruled that as long as advertisements are accurate and truthful it is protected by The First Amendment and allowed, even if it is in a state where different gambling rules apply – complicated isn’t it?
The Promotion of Gambling Services
Whatever court you are in, the accurate promotion of any gambling services is a must. There are no countries where they are going to encourage you to mislead people in your advertising and the promotion of betting platforms is no exception. The UK for example has to be very clear about what you get when you sign up and what the expectations are before you are able to withdraw any winnings. The US might be slower cracking down on this but they will likely catch up and follow in the UK’s footsteps soon enough.
The way we view adverts and what is considered advertising is also changing and the gambling industry will be no exception. Traditionally adverts have been considered those broadcast on TV or radio and printed in magazines, but the world of social media influencers is changing that. Both the US and the UK have similar guidelines when it comes to companies working with influencers, and if someone is paid to post about a service on their social media account then this should be declared. There is definitely a lax attitude to this and plenty of social media influencers don’t see the importance of this – but as things progress and this continues to be a popular way to promote services it is like that the Federal Trade Commission in the US and the Advertising Standards Agency in the UK will crack down on this.
The truth is that advertising gambling services is not something that is going to come to a halt anytime soon. As different countries tighten up their rules companies will continue to work out loopholes and ways to get around this. What the rules in the future will be in the US and the UK remains to be seen, but if the US is anything like the UK then it will try to keep up with current gambling trends and ensure that any rules introduced meet this in order to keep responsible gambling as high on the priority list for casinos and betting platforms as possible.
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