UK OK’s Online Casino Advertising
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UK OK’s Online Casino Advertising
27 Jul 2006
Gearing up for the 2007 Gambling Act, the United Kingdom has given the green light to online casino sites to start advertising on English television. When the country’s gambling laws came into effect over forty years ago, television advertising was not on the agenda. However, since the country decided to regulate and legalize gambling – both land-based and online casino gambling – online casino sites have been given the OK to start advertising on TV.
The English Committee of Advertising Practice (also known as CAP) has set out specific guidelines regarding the advertising of online casino sites on UK television. Online casino sites may not target children in any way, nor may they market themselves so that they seem appealing to youth culture. Sex is also a no-no in online casino advertising, with sites being forbidden to claim that gambling makes a person more attractive to the opposite sex or sexier. Sites are also forbidden to claim that gambling makes a person richer or will solve all their financial woes.
The move to allow online casino sites to advertise in the UK media is just another step in the direction of mainstreaming gambling in the country. It is believed that over 70% of the British population gambles in one way or another and the government feels that it will be able to control offline and online casino gambling better if the industry is regulated.
