The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled against five advertisers for social casino games, banning their ads due to misleading content.
The ASA raised concerns over paid-for ads on TikTok that implied users could win real-world money or tangible prizes, a claim that was found to be false.
The advertisers involved are Dataverse (trading as Gamehaus), Huuuge Global (trading as Billionaire Casino), Mobee Co (trading as Ignite Classic Slots), SpinX Games and Zeroo Gravity Games (trading as Cash Tornado).
Social casino games emulate popular casino games such as slot machines, but the ASA clarified that no real-world money or prizes can be won or withdrawn from these apps.
The ads failed to make this clear, leading consumers to believe they could win tangible rewards. This violation of advertising standards forms part of the ASA’s broader investigation into gambling-like ads, following intelligence gathered about misleading practices.
The five companies involved in the social casino ad breaches must now adjust their advertising strategies to comply with the ASA’s standards.
The banned ads can no longer appear in their current form and the ASA continues to monitor this area closely, ensuring that future ads clearly communicate the non-monetary nature of such games.
In July 2024, the ASA upheld a complaint against William Hill, one of the largest bookmakers in the UK, for failing to clearly communicate significant conditions related to its welcome bonus offer.
The ads in question omitted essential details about excluded payment methods, which the ASA deemed misleading. As a result, William Hill was instructed to amend its future marketing materials to ensure transparency.
