RGSB Update on Children, Young People and Gambling

Children are some of the most vulnerable in our society but also some of the smartest, so it’s our job as adults to make sure we protect them.

From taking them to after-school clubs to letting them venture out to the cinemas or the bowling alley with their friends, our main priority is to keep them safe and secure in whatever they do.

That extends to you as an affiliate. Whether you are a parent of your own children or not, the way in which you go about marketing gambling products should always bear in mind the fact that it shouldn’t appeal to children.

The goalposts are always changing and modifying as to what the youngsters of today find appealing, so it’s always worth keeping on top of what the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board say is, well responsible, regarding any advertising.

Recently, they gave us an update which is available to read at any time, but for those of you that want a quick update rather than the full lowdown, here are a few pointers that are well worth considering.

The first point to note is that the RSGB are concerned with the levels of gambling advertisement that children and young people are exposed to. One of their recommended actions is for the Gambling Commission to consider how they ensure gambling operators are more proactive in how they manage and oversee the marketing activities of their affiliates.

Luckily for you, here at ActiveWins we already audit our affiliates to ensure they are not in breach of any ASA or UKGC regulations, but if you are ever in any doubt over whether or not something is compliant, please refer to our dedicated compliance page or get in touch with your affiliate manager.

The second point refers to content, which is something all affiliates are either using or creating by themselves. The likelihood is that you get your head down and crack on with writing your copy or designing your images, no problem you might think? Well, that is where you could be going wrong.

Content which has a particular appeal to children – either within marketing, advertising or the design of games or products – should not be visible in any type of environment where it will be encountered by under-18s.

As an affiliate, make sure you are paying attention to the ASA’s existing advice on the use of marketing images that might have particular appeal to under-18s. You should apply the same guidance to game design unless all relevant content – including ‘tiles’ and ‘icons’ – is only visible once robust age-verification procedures have been completed.

With all this in mind, it might be worth checking through your website to check that you aren’t falling foul to any of the current rules and regulations.

With the World Cup going on at the minute, you certainly wouldn’t want to be picking up a red card of your own.