UK watchdog shames gambling ops for ads on kid-friendly sites

The UK’s advertising watchdog says only junk food manufacturers are airing more inappropriate ads on kid-focused online media than gambling operators.

On Wednesday, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) issued its latest report on age-restricted advertising that somehow eludes the censors and finds its way onto websites that attract an audience with “a disproportionately high” number of children — defined as over one-quarter of the audience — which is a violation of the UK’s Advertising Code.

The first three-month phase of the ASA’s year-long project involved over 50 YouTube channels and other websites. The study employed “CCTV-style” monitoring tools aimed at detecting online advertising related to gambling, alcohol, e-cigarettes/tobacco, slimming/weight control products and edibles deemed to be high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS).

The ASA found 159 examples of age-restricted ads in violation of the Code, of which 70 ads involved gambling. These adds were run by only four gambling operators and appeared on eight different websites.