Gambling Advertising: How Is It Regulated In The UK?

The gambling and online gambling industry in the UK is a large and dynamic market that is ranked among the most powerful industries in Europe. The UK is home to several prestigious online gambling and casino companies in extremely fierce competition for customers. We’re talking about prestigious brands with huge capital that can invest large amounts of money in marketing.

At the same time, regulations in the UK are quite liberal and allow online casinos and online bookmakers to advertise their services in many different ways. However, the British legislature and UK gambling licensing authorities also impose several restrictions on gambling advertisers regarding forms and channels of advertising. This is very important information that you should know before you decide to advertise your gambling services.

However, good advertising is definitely not enough to make a mark in today’s online gambling industry. Quality online casinos wishing to win the recognition of players must, first of all, present an interesting offer that will be positively reviewed by prestigious portals. Users are eager to be guided by qualitative texts. For example, 10bet casino offers review at Wageringadvisors.co.uk, where you can immediately learn all the details of the casino offer and at the same time get an honest opinion from an experienced author. Nevertheless, the standard marketing of online casinos and betting companies is also very important, but it has some legal limitations.

What are the rules for advertising gambling in the UK?

Gambling advertising regulations in the UK are both complex and highly flexible. This is due to the fact that the legislator wanted to find a reasonable compromise between two important factors, namely:

Restrictions on how gambling can be advertised in the UK are designed to protect players’ interests, with particular emphasis on the youngest audience. Casinos and bookmakers must comply with special operating codes, such as LCCP Condition, CAP Code, BCAP Code, and all annexes to these rules.
On the other hand, the British legislator doesn’t want to impose unrealistic and too difficult criteria on the gambling industry, which is why some rules have not been precisely defined. An industry operator must understand the nature of the regulations and act in good faith, and, if in doubt, consult the appropriate authority.

All rules regarding the form and content of gambling advertising are included in the document titled: “Advertising and marketing rules and regulations,” issued by the British Gambling Commission and is available on the organization’s website. It’s worth briefly describing this document’s most important codes of conduct.

License Conditions and Codes of Practice

The UK Gambling Commission has divided its gambling advertising guidelines into three “codes.” These are the previously mentioned LCCP, CAP, and BCAP. Here’s what you should know about them:

LCCP refers to broadly understood Social Responsibility. This code ensures that gambling advertising will not cause negative social impacts.
CAP is the so-called Non-broadcast Code, which defines the rules of e-gambling advertising in particular areas, such as Promotional Marketing, Political advertisements, Harm and offense, or Recognition of marketing communications.
BCAP is the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising, which refers to all advertising available on television. Like CAP, BCAP precisely defines the criteria for Broadcast Advertising in various precisely defined aspects.

Of course, gambling service providers must also meet several other requirements in addition to the advertising rules. This includes, among others, security, protection of players’ privacy, AML procedures, protection of players’ money, compliance with the principles of responsible gaming, and informing players about these principles.

It’s worth knowing that not only casinos and bookmaker companies are subject to the requirements of the British Gambling Commission, but also gambling software providers, including even the most prestigious development studios, such as NetEnt, Play’n GO, or Evolution Gaming.

Prohibited practices in gambling and sports betting advertising

There are at least a few things that are categorically prohibited in gambling advertisements. Firstly, advertising cannot be directed to a young audience. In the UK, “young audience” is defined as people under 25 years of age. The application of this principle is very broad. Gambling companies cannot, for example:

Advertise using media that is mainly used by young people.
Include people who appear to be younger than 25 in their ads.
Refer to trends popular among young audiences.
Place young people’s idols in advertising.

In addition, advertisements must meet social responsibility requirements. Therefore, gambling cannot be presented as a way to simply make money or aggressively encourage people to place bets or play in the casino. Companies must also provide players easily accessible and precise information about their offer, game risks, and bonus conditions. For example, creating advertisements that mislead the viewer and/or intentionally redirect them to the registration form is prohibited. In addition, advertisers cannot create advertisements that are obscene, xenophobic, or racist.

What is Allowed?

However, it’s legal to provide information about gambling, sports betting on football or horse racing. The information must be reliable and cannot contain misleading advertising. It’s permissible to create informational content devoted to specific sports issues, such as “Can a horse win a race without a jockey?” or whether Arsenal London or Manchester City will be the favorites in the upcoming Premier League match, and so on. Likewise, guide texts on betting strategies and tactics for playing poker, roulette, blackjack, or slot reviews are allowed.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, gambling advertising in the UK is fully legal, unlike in many other countries. Online casinos and bookmakers can advertise their services in many different ways and through many different channels. At the same time, however, British law provides numerous restrictions when it comes to advertising gambling. Advertisers must strictly adhere to all restrictions and codes; otherwise, there will be negative consequences.

So, is it worth advertising your business in the UK at all? Absolutely! Remember that the online gambling industry in the UK is highly competitive, and virtually all the strongest brands use extensive marketing campaigns. The British user is also well-informed, aware, and demanding. This is another reason to use only honest forms of advertising. Otherwise, players may consider your brand unreliable.