ASA uses technology to monitor how gambling brands target kids

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of the UK is experimenting with technology to identify how gambling brands are violating the rules on age-restrictions to target children.

ASA found that five betting companies have broken the rules that prohibit them from skewing ads towards kids as part of the trial.

The watchdog said the feature could soon be used to track ads on “logged-in” environments, like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

As part of the ASA’s five-year strategy, which puts a greater emphasis on the regulation of online ads, the experiment focused on highlighting instances in which gambling ads preyed on children.

Seven online avatars were designed to reflect the browsing characteristics of various demographics, including children aged six to seven, those aged eight to 12, 16-year-olds and adults, as well as, people of indeterminate age. A profile that mimicked the browsing behaviour of both an adult and a child using the same device was also simulated to see what kind of ads were served against it.

Over a two-week monitoring period, the ASA tested 43 gambling operators and found that a total of five in non-logged in environments were in breach of rules that ban gambling ads from targeting under 18s.

The next phase of the ASA’s project will monitor ads for high fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) products and alcohol.

The regulator has also said it is exploring whether this monitoring and enforcement approach could be extended to social media platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.