The online casino industry uses many different advertising sources to promote its brands. Players in the UK will be familiar with traditional TV commercials, while many operators also sponsor popular television programmes.
Some of the biggest names in the sector will also sponsor major football clubs, along with other professional sports teams. Brands are highly visible, and it may seem that there are no hard rules when it comes to advertising, but that isn’t the case.
Rules and Regulations
Any casino operator looking to set up a business here has to obtain a license from the UK Gambling Commission. Prospective platforms are strictly vetted on key subjects, including security, trust and fair play. A core part of the licensing process for online casinos UK involves advertising and promotion. While the brands are allowed to advertise themselves via available outlets, they must look to promote responsible play at all times.
Responsible gambling has come into sharp focus in recent years, and casinos have a duty of care to their customers. Within each TV advert, viewers will see an emphasis on this important subject.
Key Aspects of Responsible Gambling
Each individual brand will adopt a slightly different approach, but all will make reference to responsible gambling at the end of their TV commercials. They will mention phrases such as keeping gambling fun and staying within your limits.
All of this forms part of the rules surrounding advertising for online casino companies. The code that is currently in place for operators states that they must not encourage socially irresponsible behaviour. It’s all about balancing the advertisement between promotion and responsibility, and that code has a further impact on every casino platform.
Impact on Self-Help Tools
Each online casino operating in the UK has to back up its words with actions. It’s OK to make references to responsible gambling, but there is a need to promote this on the casino platform. Trusted operators should have a series of tools that will help customers as they continue their journey.
These tools will start with deposit limits. When players open an account, they will be asked to set limits on the amount they wish to deposit on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Periodically, the casino will check in with the customer and ask whether they want to adjust those limits.
Players can also set a time limit on their sessions so they may, for example, be automatically logged out if they remain on the website or app for thirty minutes. Exclusions can also be applied to online play. Customers can exclude themselves from logging on for a set period of time, starting from one day.
Those time periods extend to 7 days, 30 days and beyond, and in the more extreme cases, players can exclude themselves from the platform on a permanent basis. All of these methods and systems are in place due to regulations on TV advertising. The need to promote responsible gambling and to discourage irresponsible behaviour drives these tools.
UK vs the Rest of the World
In other parts of the world, the rules on casino advertising are much stricter. Around Europe, the regulations on gambling ads are much tighter, with Spain and France among those with very clear rules. In Spain, there is a move to ban the use of celebrities to promote gambling, and that’s a ruling that many feel should be carried over into the UK.
Moving away from Europe and into other countries, casino advertising is outlawed. Anyone wishing to play casino games in Australia has to search for the provider and sign up. There is no form of advertising in place that allows them to click through and register for an account.
Advertising an online casino in the UK involves striking a delicate balance. Operators will naturally want to promote their brands, but the rules state that they must not encourage irresponsible behaviour. This leaves the public with a mixed set of ads that portray a fun hobby, which is backed up by prominent messages relating to responsible gambling.
This may be why so many companies are involved in sponsorship deals. When a brand name appears on the shirts of a Premier League football team, there is no room for anything other than the logo.
Moving forward, we may see tighter rules on casino advertising in the UK. For now, the legislation is clear, and anyone looking to promote their brand has to stay within the guidelines of responsible play.