Responsible Gambling Message to Be More Transparent in TV Ads

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Don’t you agree that British TV viewers should easily spot a responsible gambling message in a gambling ad? Also, shouldn’t the message be on the screen long enough so that viewers notice it?

Well, we think so. However, this doesn’t seem to be happening right now, and the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling decided to make some changes. The IGRG is working on enhancing the Industry code for Socially Responsible Advertising further.

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This Friday, the IGRG announced that as of June gambling operators must feature a responsible gambling message throughout the entire TV ad. The alternative is to highlight a reference to the Responsible Gambling Trust service during an advertisement. Either way, gambling companies should comply with the gambling practices IGRG recently recommended.

Betting companies, PayPal casinos, and gambling operators in general have been under fire for the last few months with the arrival of new regulations. The UK competition authority has already warned three leading operators in the industry for unfair advertising practices. After the warning, William Hill, PT Entertainment, and Ladbrokes all formally agreed to change their promotions that trap customers’ money. Yesterday, another gambling firm, BGO Entertainment, unceremoniously joined the trio for violating the same consumer rules.

The CMA published some general do’s and don’ts that online gambling companies should follow. One of the don’ts is related to delaying customers’ withdrawals. Promotions offering free bets are off limits too.

As the CMA explained, offering free bets is perfectly fine as long as customers get the bet without any hidden commitments. Some online gambling platforms had a habit of adding free bet stipulations usually somewhere in the fine print. These practices are apparently not fair, and the CMA is making sure that this type of advertising stays off limits.

The important thing is that neither the UKGC, nor CMA, nor IGRG want to drive gambling companies out of business. The regulatory bodies only want to ensure that consumers are protected and treated fairly. The primary goal is to create an environment for online gamblers that is fair, as well as make sure that players are always aware of gambling problems.

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