ASA sanctions Gala Spins Facebook advertisement for appeal to under-18s

The Advertising Standards Authority upheld one complaint against a paid-for Facebook post by Gala Spins, the content of which was challenged as having a particular appeal to children.

The ad in question, which was seen on August 12, 2020, included a caption which stated “IT’S A ROLLERCOASTER OF CUTENESS!”. The post included a video which began with a voice-over that stated “What’s your spin?”. 

This video included text that stated “GALA Spins” and “What’s your spin?” following which the video showed text which stated “Fluffy Favourites” and five toy animals.

Issuing its response, LC International, trading as Gala Spins, said that the content was age-gated to those who were over 18 years old, a move which they said “would immediately prevent those who were underage from viewing and accessing the Gala Spins page”

The response by the firm added: “Gala Spins said they posted the video featuring stuffed animals in error and that it was an out-of-date video. 

“They said that the stuffed toys featured in the eight-second video appeared between seconds four and six; viewers would have had to press play for the video to run.

“Gala Spins 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. 

“They provided analytics of the campaign which they said showed that none of those who saw the ad were under 18 years old and all were women. They said the ad had since been taken down on all channels.”

Issuing its assessment, the ASA noted that despite the steps taken the company could not ensure that under-18s, who falsely reported their age, were not exposed to the ad.

Furthermore, the self-regulatory organisation said that iconography included in the ad, as well as aforementioned captions, were likely to strengthen that appeal.

The ASA told the firm that the ad must not appeal again in that form, as well as issuing a reminder to ensure that future ads for gambling products did not appeal particularly to under 18s.