Some family TV shows from the UK were recently accused of promoting casino games. The Gambling Commission blames these shows of normalizing and encouraging gambling activities.
The issue is that thousands of viewers have started gambling on online casinos that use the branding of popular TV programs like Britain’s Got Talent or The Price is Right. According to data collected by the Daily Mail, nearly 14000 people played one of the sponsored games during the last year.
These newly released games developed by Gaming Realms are called “Slingo”. They are a combination of bingo and slots and have various themes, including famous TV shows, like Dancing on Ice, The Chase, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, to name a few. Gamblers can win prizes up to £20.000, and by wagering significant amounts of money, they can acquire the VIP status. The rewards for reaching the VIP level might include 10% cashback on losses, concert tickets, iPads, or vacations.
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While authorities are condemning the games of influencing the under-aged audience to start gambling too early, casinos say that their strict policies and detection software don’t allow anyone under 18 to create an account.
“I’m disappointed such popular shows, and personalities get implicated in this dreadful use of popular broadcasting to attract new gamblers.” Declared Carolyn Harris, the chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on gambling.
Carolyn Harris also said that she hopes that they are unaware of the game provider using the TV shows’ branding, and not complicit with this problem. These television programs and anyone related to them should be more careful with their endorsements. They are mainly attracting people that aren’t gamblers to join this world by taking advantage of the fact that they love the show.
Terry White lost over £250.000 gambling on Slingo, and he considers celebrities that endorse gambling to be despicable. He can’t fully understand why shows like X-Factor need to associate with online casinos. He believes that the Gambling Commission should closer investigate the operators behind these games.
After the release of the “Slingo” version of Britain’s Got Talent, judge David Walliams faced criticism after promoting Gaming Realms on the radio last year. The fans weren’t impressed by David’s affiliation with casino games, but his advertisement surely worked on some of them.
While the star didn’t respond to any request from the DailyMail reporters, a spokesperson at Bear Group declared: “We take our responsibilities to players, operators, and regulators very seriously.” According to him, the company has strict policies regarding the sign-up process, so underaged or blacklisted players won’t be able to join them. On top of that, they also have a self-exclusion feature, which allows the player to terminate their account instantly.
An ITV spokesperson said that their commerce and ventures team had negotiated brand license agreements with a wide range of operators. Many film and TV show brands are being used in casino games. Still, they are all highly regulated and only available for 18+ audiences.
However, the UK Gambling Commission said that ITV broke the rules of the Advertising Standards Authority. The laws strictly prohibit gambling ads that encourage socially irresponsible behavior or could lead to financial , social, or emotional damage.
A UKGC spokesman added: “If gambling firms break the rules, we can also take action which can include fining the offending firm.”
For some of us, knowing that family shows, or TV celebrities are endorsing gambling can be quite frustrating, especially since children are a large part of their audience. Since there aren’t any specific laws prohibiting the use of TV programs to encourage gambling, casino operators are allowed to advertise their product as long as they don’t allow players under 18 to join.
Remember to always gamble responsibly. You must be 18 or over to gamble in the UK.
https://www.begambleaware.org