The United Kingdom Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) will soon put in a new ban in place regarding gambling advertising. Sports personalities and other celebrities will not be allowed to take part in advertisements involving gambling activities. The regulatory body is in charge of ensuring that advertising remains safe and does not target those who are underage.
A public consultation took place regarding advertising connected to celebrities and sports stars. From its findings, CAP decided to make the cut. The change will have a significant impact on the advertisements offered by gambling companies as they often feature high profile sports stars and reality television stars. Ads also include influencers from social media and other well-known names.
With the current rules, a gambling ad is considered in violation of regulations if it appeals more to children than adults. With the new changes, any ad that appeals to underage viewers will be banned, no matter how it is viewed by adults.
Ads that recently were introduced including Michael Owen and Harry Redknapp along with Tottenham coach Jose Mourinho will need to be pulled. The change of removing such ads comes as the government in the UK is clamping down on the industry. The government is preparing to make the biggest changes to the Gambling Act since it first came into play back in 2005.
Calls have been made for a blanket ban on advertising involving gambling in the United Kingdom, but CAP does not see this as justifiable as no evidence has presented to show that it needs to be an overall ban.
Ads that are created for casino and betting products will not be able to air via media where 25% of the audience is under the age of 18. This change comes just a few months after operators agreed to a whistle-to-whistle ban involving advertisements for live sports events.
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