GVC hit with ASA sanction over Gala Spins Facebook ad

A Facebook ad for GVC’s Gala Spins brand has been censured by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for using imagery which could appeal to children. The paid-for Facebook post, which ran on 12 August, included a caption and text which began with the phrase “IT’S A ROLLERCOASTER OF CUTENESS!”. The ad voiceover stated: “What’s your spin?” as the video included text on “Fluffy Favourites” and featured five stuffed toy animals. Responding to the complaint, GVC highlighted existing age-gating software on its Facebook account, claiming the video was posted in error and was out of date. The operator referenced the fact that the toys only appeared for two seconds of the eight-second video, with viewers having to press play for the clip to run. GVC said the video was part of a multi-channel campaign targeting females in the UK aged between 18 and 65 with an interest in gambling and online gaming. The operator provided analytics of the campaign which it said showed that none of those who saw the ad were under 18 and all were women. GVC said the ad had since been removed from all its social media channels. ASA regulators acknowledged the fact the ad appeared on an age-gated Facebook account, however the ASA questioned whether enough steps were taken to ensure that under-18s were not exposed to the ad. Based on this assertion, the ASA judged the ad on the basis of its content, asserting that text, together with the images used of the stuffed toy animals, was likely to appeal to children and later ruled that the ad must be taken down.