UK Advertising Standards Authority has ordered LeoVegas, to remove a radio advertisement for BetUK Sportsbook. The ASA ruled that the radio ad was irresponsible and might appeal to young children.
Advert in question was aired on September 20, 2023. The advert featured Adebayo Akinfenwa, a retired footballer. He spoke about his role as a BetUK brand ambassador.
Akinfenwa mentioned several safe gambling tools that BetUK offers to its players. This includes deposit limits, setting up reality checks and timeouts. He encouraged all players to always “gamble responsibly with BetUK”.
Despite this, the ASA received a complaint about the ad’s potential appeal to those under 18. The ASA questioned whether an ad featuring a person likely to appeal strongly to children was in violation of the BCAP Code.
LeoVegas & BetUK Reject Complaint
LeoVegas, BetUK and others responded to the complaint by saying they didn’t believe that the advertisement appealed under-18s. Akinfenwa, who is now retired and 41 years old, is not likely to appeal to children.
Akinfenwa’s career outside of the Premier League, in lower-tier leagues was also mentioned. The appeal of this film to younger audiences is low.
BetUK stated that Akinfenwa’s media profile outside of football did not suggest he would be a strong attraction to children. BetUK also referred to his clothing line, which did not contain any products aimed at children.
Akinfenwa is active on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X. He also has accounts with TikTok, Snapchat, TikTok, TikTok, TikTok, TikTok, TikTok, TikTok, TikToK, TikTok, TikTok, TikTok, TikTok, TikTok, TikTo, TikTok, TikTok, TikTok, TikTok, TikTo On Instagram, Akinfenwa’s total number of followers was 8%, while Snapchat had 18%. Facebook, Twitter/X, and TikTok do not provide age demographics.
BetUK said that the advertisement did not have any childish content. The ad was also broadcast during a show that would likely have an audience of adults. Radiocentre, an association of UK radio stations that represents commercial interests, supported BetUK.
ASA accepts the complaint
Despite this, ASA upheld complaint referencing BCAP Code. In this code, it states that marketing communication for gambling cannot be a strong attraction to young people or children. Advertisements must not feature characters that are likely to be appealing to children or young people.
Akinfenwa was classified as a “low-risk” player by BCAP, despite the fact that he played in a lower division. The authority did add that some players may be “moderate risks” because of their media and social profiles. Akinfenwa, according to the ASA, could be appealing to children.
In a more detailed explanation of its decision, ASA referred to Akinfenwa’s larger profile. His popularity is due in part to his strength. He was ranked the best player on several versions of the FIFA game for children.
The ASA stated that “we considered his portrayal in the media, and the way he had marketed him would have caused some football fans view him as a cult figure in the sport.”
We therefore determined that, based on his profile in the media and our opinion that he had an unusually high level of recognition for a footballer from a lower division, he would fall into the “moderate-risk” category.
If we look at his social media, the BetUK data for Instagram and Snapchat followers below the age of 18, it suggests at least 157,000 were at that time under 18 years old.
BCAP guidelines state that a “high social media following” which attracts an absolute significant number of followers under 18 (as determined by quantitative or qualitative analyses) is most likely to be regarded as an indicator of “strong appeal”. This was confirmed by the ASA.
The ASA stated that “we considered over 157,000 young followers, the total number of which is likely to be higher because there are no data on the other platforms” was a large amount in absolute numbers.
Akinfenwa was placed in the “high-risk” category because of his large number of followers on social media who are under the age of 18 due to his profile and career.
The ASA ruled that the advertisement violated BCAP Code, Edition 12, rules 17.4 and 174.5 in relation to gambling.
It said that the advertisement must never be shown again in this form. LeoVegas Gaming, BetUK and the ASA were also instructed to not include in future ads a character or person who appeals to children.
