A new survey commissioned by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) to evaluate how well its members comply with the pan-European advertising code for responsible gambling has indicated that advertising on platforms such as television and YouTube largely follows the rules designed to protect minors. However, there is room for improvement in social media, particularly in age verification and transparency in influencer marketing.
In 2020, EGBA introduced the Code of Conduct for Responsible Advertising for Online Gambling. Two years later, the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) carried out an initial survey of EGBA members’ compliance, confirming that most measures within the code were already in place.
EASA has now conducted a second study, focusing specifically on protecting minors from gambling advertisements. It assessed 120 advertisements from EGBA members across four European countries—Greece, Spain, Romania, and the United Kingdom—across television, YouTube, websites, and social media.
Local regulators examined whether these advertisements complied with the EGBA code as well as national laws and regulations. Their review focused on age restrictions, preventing advertisements from targeting minors, and ensuring visibility of warning messages.
The survey confirms that gambling companies are meeting responsible advertising requirements on television and YouTube. Advertisements respect age limits, and they do not feature celebrities or cartoon characters that might appeal to young audiences.
However, social media advertising requires further improvements. Although many ads display age restrictions, age verification processes are not always correctly implemented. Some advertisements also fail to include a responsible gambling warning, increasing the risk of minors being exposed to gambling content. EGBA acknowledges these shortcomings and aims to address them.
An evaluation of influencer marketing practices involving two EGBA members in Spain and the UK found that influencers generally follow the rules and avoid targeting minors. However, transparency remains a key area for improvement. Many advertisements do not clearly disclose sponsorships, for example, by using a mandatory #ad tag or another form of clear disclosure.
EGBA Secretary General Maarten Haijer acknowledged the findings, highlighting the progress made while recognising the need for further improvements in social media advertising: “EGBA remains focused on raising industry standards and will collaborate with its members to enhance responsible advertising across all digital and traditional channels.
“This latest audit demonstrates our members’ commitment to responsible advertising and the protection of minors. While we are encouraged by our members’ high compliance rates across traditional media channels, we recognise that there is more work to be done in social media.
“At EGBA, we are committed to promoting the highest standards of advertising and will continue to work with our members to improve compliance with our code across all platforms.”