The United Kingdom’s advertising regulatory body, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), took action after a social media personality, Astrid Wett, was featured in a campaign for Festival Free Bets. The issue? Individuals must be 25 years old to be included in gambling advertisements within the UK, and Astrid was only 23 at the time.
The advertisement, shared on Astrid’s X (previously Twitter) account, displayed her at the Cheltenham racecourse, promoting Festival Free Bets. An individual raised concerns, and the ASA concurred that it violated the regulations intended to safeguard young individuals from gambling influence.
Although Festival Free Bets remained unresponsive when contacted by the ASA, Astrid herself acknowledged the error. She confessed her lack of awareness regarding the rules, believing that reaching 18 years of age was sufficient. She pledged to exercise greater caution in the future.
The ASA expressed disappointment with Festival Free Bets’ avoidance of their inquiries, characterizing their absence of a response as irresponsible.
A wagering firm promoting a “Festive Season Complimentary Wagers” campaign was lately informed that they are prohibited from featuring individuals appearing younger than 25 in their marketing materials. This directive comes on the heels of a comparable ruling the previous week concerning ProgressPlay, pertaining to a promotional effort on their Jeffbet online platform.
