In the UK and the US, authorities are stepping up efforts to ban advertising that targets minors. The UK banned two ads featuring sports stars, while the US has introduced the GAME Act to prohibit ads that appeal to under-18s.
The question of what is deemed appealing to minors was partly answered by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) in the UK last week. The agency ruled on two ads that featured well-known soccer players.
In one instance, an ad featuring ex-Arsenal forward Thierry Henry was deemed to be acceptable. The ASA said that the 48-year-old, who retired in 2012, “was not likely to be of strong appeal.” Therefore, a Betway ad featuring Henry was approved.
However, an Oddschecker ad featuring current soccer stars Erling Haaland and Harry Kane was deemed too appealing to minors. The ASA banned the ads, stating that these players “do have strong appeal to those under 18 years of age.”
What Are The UK Rules?
The case in the UK shows the fine line in what is deemed acceptable. A case could be made for Henry to also have an appeal to minors. The former player regularly features in soccer coverage in the US and UK.
The ASA said the rules in the UK prohibit gambling ads from:
- Being addressed to or otherwise directed at children or young people
- Presenting gambling as a solution to personal or financial problems
- Featuring sports personalities or celebrities of strong appeal to under-18s
- Encouraging irresponsible gambling behavior like chasing loses or solitary play
Who is of strong appeal to under-18s becomes open to interpretation. Generally, current players are deemed to hold a strong appeal, thus the Haaland and Kane ads were banned.
US Wants Stricter Rules
In the US, studies have claimed that as many as 1 in 3 teenagers are gambling, with loot boxes in video games blamed as an entry point.
Earlier this month, Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) introduced the Gaming Advertisement to Minors Enforcement (GAME) Act.
“Sportsbooks and prediction markets are treating young people like a gold rush, flooding the internet with advertisements and promotions to hook them on gambling when they’re young,” said Senator Blumenthal in a press release.
“High schoolers, even middle schoolers, are now gambling on their phones as never before, losing real money and creating life-altering addiction. The GAME Act would create a nationwide ban on targeted advertising of gambling to kids, backed with the force of punishing fines.”
Limited Scope Of GAME Act
The bill, however, only makes it illegal for an operator to directly provide a minor with a link to a sports betting or prediction market platform.
It does not appear to contain any general advertising that could be considered appealing to minors, such as the UK rules.
The bill states: “The term ‘targeted advertisement directed to a minor that promotes a sports gambling platform’ means an advertisement or any other effort to market a sports gambling platform that is directed to a minor or a connected device of a minor that an online advertising provider links or possesses the information to be able to link to a minor.”
So, if a gambling company somehow has detailed information about a minor, they cannot send them a direct advert for a gambling site.
Repeat offenders can be referred to the Department of Justice (DOJ), which could impose financial penalties of up to $100,000 for each ad shown to a minor that promotes sports gambling.
Gambling Being Gamified To Attract Young Users
Gaming companies have come under fire recently for featuring gambling-like mechanisms in their games. Valve, Roblox, and Fortnite have all been named in multiple lawsuits alleging that they encourage young people to gamble.
Equally, gambling companies are being blamed for gamifying betting. Gamified features such as leaderboards, challenges and rewards, and other video game-like tools are built into some sports wagering platforms. Those, in turn, keep people on platforms longer and more intensely engaged, said Adrian Hon, a game designer and author of “You’ve Been Played.”
“They tighten the loop of setting a bet and getting the feedback,” Hon said. “And so it does make it more visceral. It makes it more exciting. It makes it more real-time.”
Jason Levin is the founder of Memelord Technologies, a marketing company that offers companies tools to make meme templates. He says prediction market operators Polymarket and Kalshi have both used the company.
“If you want to attract a younger audience, you’re going to use memes. You’re going to use unhinged humor,” Levin said in comments to US News. “You’re going to try to get in front of them by any means necessary.”
The GAME Act, with its limited scope, is unlikely to reduce advertising directed at minors, even if it is passed. Bans on social media have been introduced in Australia and talked about in the UK, but in the age of the internet, sheltering minors from gambling and other adult content looks increasingly challenging.
“Years ago, parents could lock the door at night and assume that their children were safe,” said Sen. Britt. “In today’s digital age, that is sadly no longer the case — dangers can enter our homes every single day through the palm of our children’s hands. Youth gambling addictions could be developing under parents’ roofs without them even knowing it, which is why it’s critical that we help parents combat this.”
