UK-licensed online gambling operators have been told to purge their websites of any marketing material including content that might hold particular appeal to under-18s, even if the content doesn’t involve real-money play.

On Friday, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) issued a joint letter to online gambling operators ‘advising’ them to remove “unacceptable” marketing material.

The letter advises operators to “amend or remove immediately any ads” from their websites or third-party media that are “likely to appeal particularly to people aged 17 or younger” and are “generally available to view (freely accessible).” The advice applies particularly to “freely accessible ads for play-for-free and play-for-money games and includes all graphics and images displayed on a website or in third party media.”

The letter claims the agencies were prompted to act by recent UK media reports, in particular a lengthy article in the Sunday Times, regarding online slots titles with themes including Peter Pan, Jack and the Beanstalk and other ‘kid-friendly’ characters.