by Anton Johan
The UK advertising watchdog group, ASA, has asked gambling giant, 888.com to
remove a pop up ad, saying that it encourages people to gamble.
The ad was seen on 888's Facebook page in February in the form of a pop up,
with a slot machine image and text asking: "Addicted to slots?"
The ad then states: "Register in 888Casino and get seven spins every week for
a whole year ABSOLUTELY FREE! Get the chance to win every day. No deposit
necessary."
The add was created for Cassava Enterprises (which trades as 888.com)
by Online Media Solutions.
ASA decided to take action after receiving a single complaint in February,
and warned 888.com to remove the ad in its present form.
In its ruling statement, the group said: "We considered...that... the ad
trivialised gambling addiction, and condoned and encouraged gambling behaviour
that could lead to financial, social or emotional harm. We therefore concluded
that the ad was irresponsible."
888 Blames Advertising Agency
According to Cassava Enterprises, the pop up ad has been created by Online
Media Solutions without their knowledge and published without approval.
The group said that it had not even been aware of the ad before they were
contacted by the advertising authorities regarding the complaint.
Cassava ordered the immediate removal of the ad, but also said that the pop
up didn't seem to be targeting children, but rather its chief gambling market,
ie. UK males between the ages of 29 and 53.
Facebook Removes Ad
Facebook also responded to ASA's ruling and said that because the pop up went
against the social network giant's advertising guidelines, its was removing it
from the site.
It also stressed that advertisers are solely responsible for the images in
their ads and this particular one had an average amount of negative feedback.
