UK licenced gambling operators have been warned that they must remove any advertising content that could appeal to children.

The UK Gambling Commission, together with the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) have sent a joint letter to online gambling operators addressing the issue of adverts that feature images that could appeal to anyone under the age of 18.

The joint letter came in response to recent articles in the UK press that highlighted the use of images on gambling operators’ websites which could appeal to those under the legal age to gamble.

The joint response also came hot on the heels of an open letter published by the UKGC to the Editor of the Sunday Times earlier this month, following their story about the dangers of children being exposed to online gambling. Authored by Tim Miller, the Executive Director of Corporate Affairs and Research, it emphasised the Commission’s commitment to protecting children from the dangers of gambling online.

The instruction to remove ads particularly relates to freely accessible ads for both free play and real money games, including graphics as well as written content. The action required not only applies to gambling operators’ websites, but also to third party media.

To operate legally, remote gambling operators offering services to players in the UK must possess a gambling licence issued by the Gambling Commission. In order to maintain their licence, operators are required to adhere to strict advertising standards relating to the protection of under 18’s.

The letter highlighted certain criteria that could lead to an advert being considered to have a particular appeal to children. These include “the use of particular colours, cartoon and comic book images, animals, child- and youth-orientated references”. They also pointed out that certain game titles may have an enhanced appeal to youngsters, including the likes of Fluffy Favourites, Piggy Payout and Jack and the Beanstalk.

After pointing out what types of adverts are considered to appeal to children, specific examples of previously upheld complaints about advertising were quoted. These included an advertisement by 888 Casino which featured images of Spiderman along with the text stating “THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN”.

The letter concluded by instructing operators to act now and take immediate action to amend or remove freely accessible advertisements that could be seen as directly appealing to minors.

Given the hard stance the Gambling Commission has taken recently regarding regulation of the online gambling industry, you can expect to see significant changes in ads from online casinos and other gambling operators, as well as affiliates that advertise such sites.

Many operators offer welcome bonuses to new players that include free spins on slots including those highlighted in the letter, such as Jack and the Beanstalk. If operators are not permitted to advertise such games owing to implications that this could appeal to children, this could lead to significant changes in the types of bonuses and promotions that are offered to both new and existing players at online casinos.