Buzz Bingo Faces ASA Rebuke Over Halloween Advertisement

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK has issued a rebuke to Buzz Bingo, a popular gaming operator, over a Halloween-themed advertisement that raised concerns of appealing to children. The complaint against Buzz Bingo was in response to an advert posted on the company's Facebook page in October 2023.

The contentious advert featured animated scenes, including a full moon, pumpkin heads, a church resembling witches' hats, bats, a spider web, and a graveyard with a tombstone and a cross. Text written in a slime-like font advertised "Monster Mondays – £50,000 must be won every Monday in October."

Buzz Bingo responded to the complaint, explaining that the advert was published on its Facebook page, accessible only to users aged 18 and above. They clarified that the campaign was intended for users aged over 25 who have an interest in bingo. However, they acknowledged concerns that the Halloween imagery might attract children and promptly removed the ad while revising their internal marketing procedures.

The ASA ruled in favor of the complaint, citing the CAP Code's guidance that ads should not strongly appeal to children or young persons. Animated content, according to the Code, could give the impression of targeting under-18s, and it advised against using child-like background imagery.

The ASA emphasized that Halloween and its associated traditions are appealing to children. The cartoon-like imagery in the ad resembled children's cartoons and storybooks, and the term "monster" was considered potentially attractive to children. Therefore, the ASA concluded that the ad had a strong appeal to children.

The ASA stated that it would have been acceptable for the advert to appear in a medium where under-18s could be excluded if robust age verification was in place. However, since Facebook relies on self-verification during sign-up and lacks robust age verification, the ASA found Buzz Bingo had not effectively excluded under-18s from the audience.

As a result, Buzz Bingo was directed to ensure that the advert does not appear again in its current form. The ASA also urged the operator to avoid using themes or imagery likely to strongly appeal to those under 18 in future advertisements.