Advertising Standards Authority Bans Gala Spins Ad

The UK’s regulator of gambling the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a TV advertisement from the GVC Holdings owned casino brand Gala Spins on the basis that the Ad was irresponsible and in breach of the advertising code linking gambling and skill. 

The complaint from an individual questioned whether the Ad which showed a man spinning a plate on his finger was socially irresponsible by creating a link between gambling and skill. 

The ASA concluded that the phrase ‘see if you’ve got the talent’, while meant as a reference to the Britain’s Got Talent-licensed product, was inappropriate in the context of an invitation to gamble. The regulator said that the wording “implicitly suggested that viewers could exercise a degree of skill or would be able to improve their opportunity to win at a game of chance.” 

Galaspins must now withdraw the Ad and it must not appear in its current form, and the ASA warned the company that future advertising must not suggest that its gaming products involve a degree of skill. 

The ASA publishes weekly adjudications on its website every Wednesday and has banned numerous TV Advertisements in the past from gambling operators. 

GVC Holdings is a public company listed on the London Stock Market with a valuation in excess of £4bn. It has grown quickly in recent years, most notably with the acquisition of Ladbrokes-Coral in March 2018. As well as Gala Spins, Ladbrokes and Corals, GVC owns other well-known brands such as Sportingbet, Bwin, Foxy Casino and Party Poker. 

The number of TV adverts featuring gambling operators is set to reduce dramatically following the introduction last month of the ban on gambling adverts during live sport televised before the 9pm watershed. This voluntary measure from the gambling industry means that live TV football games, for example, do not now feature any gambling adverts during halftime of the game. A huge relief for many viewers!