World Cup

Crackdown on Advertising and Consumer Law Breaches

Posted by martha on in Bingo, Blog, News / 0 Comment

In 2016, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in conjunction with the Gambling Commission commissioned a sector-wide survey to assess how the online gambling firms were treating customers.

Gambling CommissionBetween October 2016 and September 2017, Britons gambled a whopping £13.9 billion. The gambling industry employs around 100,000 people. In addition, the United Kingdom has 8,532 betting shops, 152 casinos, 649 bingo halls, and 183,928 gambling machines.

Moreover, during the just-concluded FIFA World Cup, the British households were bombarded with around 90 minutes of betting advertisements. This prompted claims that children were being unfairly subjected to messages that seemed to encourage them to venture into betting.

The government of the United Kingdom has been on the receiving end in light of these developments. It faced criticisms for allegedly taking too long to place curbs on the

£100-per-spin fixed-odds betting termini. These jointly earned £1.8 billion a year for the bookies.

In response to this, the government has responded by putting in stringent measures. These, it avers, shall restrict the amount of time the adverts run on screens. This shall subsequently, according to the government, reduce the amounts of money that are spent on gambling. It came up with these stringent measures following an open consultation with the various stakeholders in the field of gambling.

To actualize this aim, the government has passed legislation to make it easier for gamblers to withdraw their money in case of a breach of the consumer laws or advertising rules. This directive shall come into effect on October 31.

According to the said rule, the government shall also fine any betting firm that violates the stated codes of conduct heavily. These include running adverts that target small children, glorify gambling, and deliberately misleading consumers. The same case shall extend to third-party advertisers like marketing agencies besides sending unsolicited text messages and e-mails to consumers.

Apart from the heavy fines, the gambling commission also imposes an eight-week ultimatum for the operators to settle any disputes that may arise from customers. This is to reduce the tensions, apprehensions, and anxieties that consumers normally confront under such circumstances. These changes in the law, the commission hopes, will hasten and expedite the solution of breaches to the existing laws.

The founder of Justice for Punters, Brian Chappell had this to say, ‘It is positive to realize that the Gambling Commission has ultimately acknowledged that gambling companies require tighter regulations.’

‘Only time will tell of the new rules shall be adhered to the letter. It waits to be seen if the consumers shall enjoy their rights and receive fair treatments. This declaration is incomprehensive but is nonetheless a welcome move.’

In response to these, some gambling firms have already announced their way forward. PT Entertainment, William Hill, and Ladbrokes have already announced their commitment to changing the manner in which they offer the bonus to customers that play online. BGO Entertainment Limited also followed suit a month later.

 

 

 

UK Parents Express Concerns over World Cup Gambling Adverts

Posted by steve_k on in Bingo, Blog, News / 1 Comment

During the recent FIFA World Cup, numerous television viewers across the UK complained of too many adverts that centered on gambling. Independent studies have as a matter of fact deduced that a combined 90 minutes of betting-related adverts were beamed to the UK screens throughout the four-week tournament.

This did not go well with most parents and caregivers in the nation. In light of this, well over 115 complaints were lodged to the UK advertising watchdog by viewers across the nation at that time. Most of the complaints were about the frequency of the adverts, the exposure of the same to small children, and the pressure tactics that were employed to push through the betting agenda.

Most parents expressed concerns that these adverts tend to make gambling appear a normal or acceptable way of life. They also decried the enticing and pressure language that the betting firms used to push their message. These, they claimed, included such terms as ‘Bet Now,’ and ‘bet in play, now!’ among others.

Under the prevailing terms of references, no gambling adverts are to be screen before the watershed moments of 9 PM onwards. The same case applies to programs or channels that are exclusively dedicated to children entertainment. Moreover, such firms are prohibited from using tactics and languages that are designed to coerce people to gamble. These rules do not, however, prohibit firms from promoting live odds when matches are in progress.

There was also a general consensus among the viewers that these adverts ate some of the time that was allocated to the FIFA matches. They subsequently asked the UK’s advertising watchdog, Advertising Standards Authority, to step in and rein on the menace.

After the formal receipt of these complains, the UK’s advertising watchdog decided to embark on independent investigations. At the moment, the watchdog agency is evaluating those complaints to ascertain whether they indeed meet the threshold that is necessary for a formal investigation.

The watchdog is also set to determine whether those tactics that were used by the various betting firms violated the stipulated UK advertising codes. Of particular interest to the watchdog agency will be whether the tactics went against the new rules that were established in February to combat problem gambling.

It will be interesting to note the subsequent course of action that the watchdog shall take. This is because FIFA matches do not fall under the jurisdiction of the watchdog. Because of this, watchdog agency lacks the mandate to penalize or enforce such rules on the program.

The watchdog shall most likely follow in the footsteps of other watchdogs world over. They might tighten the noose on gambling adverts and the revenues that are derived from advertising. This is to hinder the popularity and the adoption of gambling as a whole.

Italy, for instance, has taken the lead in doing so. The nation’s Minister for Labour and Economic Development, Luigi Di Maio, has already proposed to ban all forms of gambling advertisements. The only exceptions to this rule, he stated, will be the companies that already have advertising contracts.

Australia has also banned any form of advertising during the day, even for live sports. This shall greatly reduce the number of persons who will most likely view the adverts, keep small children off such adverts, and contribute towards combating problem gambling.

The jury is out. It waits to be seen the kinds of recommendations that the watchdog shall propose. It also waits to be seen the reactions and responses that the various stakeholders shall put forth. This is also interesting considering the liberalized nature of much of the UK’s business sectors.