Your outcry is now arriving: 888’s marketing fail

Gambling ads furore, Alabama postponement, Iowa athlete lawsuit, Bulgarian ad ban +More

Apr 30, 2024

888 lands itself in hot water with new advertising campaign.
In +More: French black market, Spanish ads move.
The final round of legislative debates in Alabama is postponed.
A lawsuit is launched in Iowa over student gambling charges.
Media pushes back on Bulgarian ad ban attempt.

You've made your bed, you better lie in it.

Gambling ads furore

Crass, bang, wallop: 888 has caved in to social media opprobrium and called a halt to its controversial marketing campaign, which involved adverts across the London Transport system, after Tory mayoral candidate Susan Hall lambasted incumbent Sadiq Khan’s “baffling” decision to allow the ads.

The marketing push included messages such as “This carriage is now a casino” on trains and “Your casino is now arriving” at bus stops and train stations.
888 told The Guardian it would withdraw some of the ads without specifying which ones, saying they “could be interpreted in a different manner to the brand position we aim for.”

Bandwagon: As reported by Compliance+More last week, the ads soon raised the hackles of public health campaigners such as Henrietta Bowden-Jones, who posted on X a picture table on the London Underground of one ad.

In a letter to Transport for London commissioner Andrew Lord, the parliamentary grouping Peers for Gambling Reform said the “aggressive” ads contradicted Khan’s previous manifesto pledge in 2021 to end gambling advertising on London’s transport network.

The peers grouping said TfL’s stance on gambling, relative to its other push against junk food ads, was “clearly inconsistent.”
Candidate Hall accused Khan of “banning adverts featuring cheese or strawberries and cream, while being completely relaxed about vaping and gambling.”

A sinner repenteth: The new campaign is the first big push since 888 installed a new leadership team under CEO Per Widerström. The company told The Guardian last week the ads were “fully compliant with all advertising regulations and standards,” but added that as a result of the feedback on this campaign it had decided to “change the focus.”

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France: The regulator has released a report suggesting the illegal online market has more players than the regulated space at 4m vs. 3.5m. The new data prompted French Online Gaming Association (AFJEL) to reiterate its calls to legalize online casino games.

A gift: “The illicit market continues its very strong expansion through the illegal online casino, which has now become a Trojan horse to also capture players in sports betting,” said Nicolas Beraud, the president of AFJEL.

Spain: The minister for consumer affairs, Pablo Bustinduy, has said the government would seek to reinstate the elements of the gambling advertising restrictions that were struck down recently by the country’s top court.

Bustinduy said the government would “undertake a legislative initiative to restore these articles and to expand and strengthen the regulation of online gambling in Spain.”

Dutch operator Betnation has obtained a sports-betting license from the Netherlands’ gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit. The company hailed the approval, which comes ahead of a busy sporting calendar in Europe this summer.

Ukraine: The authorities have moved to block more than 2,500 unlicensed websites, according to a statement from the Prosecutor General’s Office, which said it has indicted 72 individuals including several organized crime group members.

UK-based sportsbook technology provider FSB Technology has received a fine of just over £27k from the UK Gambling Commission for historic activities related to when it was a white-label operator.

Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has dismissed claims a casino license may be granted in the state of Johor. Anwar responded to a Bloomberg report saying “not true, not true. Casino license… That’s a lie.”

New York: Nassau County said it remains committed to the agreement with Las Vegas Sands for the proposed $4bn casino at the Nassau Coliseum despite a judge ruling that the lease was invalid, according to local media.

Indonesia: The government is setting up a taskforce to assess the potential for regulating online gaming, according to GGRAsia. The report cites a statement from the country’s ministry of communications as pointing out that officials were aware of Indonesians being targeted by operators from the Philippines and Cambodia.

Alabama legislation

Clock is tickin’: The final round of legislative debates to determine the future of gambling in Alabama was postponed, with no date set and just a week left to reach an agreement. A conference committee consisting of hand-picked members of the House and Senate was due to meet on April 24 to thrash out what, if any, provisions would be allowed should the prohibition of gambling be repealed.

The meeting was postponed with no further updates; members have until May 5 to make a decision.
Chris Blackshear, a representative for the bill, has briefed that “productive” talks within the committee have taken place and among private channels.

Circling wagons: Conservative voices have been vocal in their dissent over the last week, however, and are pushing lawmakers to abandon the two bills that would bring a lottery, sportsbook and new casinos to the Heart of Dixie.

“We want to show that the detriments are more than the benefits,” said Mike Griffin, public affairs representative for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. “Gambling supporters point to the tax revenue and how it can help fund education.”
“We’ve seen the data on how addictive gambling can be and that up to one-third of gamblers will attempt suicide,” he said. “It’s going to end up costing you.”

Conservative think tank the Alabama Policy Institute also posted a paid for op-ed in the Alabama Daily News warning politicians not to be “fooled by gambling rhetoric.” “If passed, the gambling bills will only benefit those who profit off the losses of others,” the institute said.

“Expanding and legalizing gambling will not serve to benefit Alabama students or the majority of Alabamians.”

Pennsylvania credit card move

Credit no good here: Pennsylvania is gearing to ban the use of credit cards to fund online gaming accounts. A new bill introduced in the Senate by state Sen. Wayne D. Fontana, SB 1159, has made its way to the Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee.

If approved, the Keystone State would join Iowa, Massachusetts and Tennessee in prohibiting the acceptance of credit cards.
The ban would apply to online casinos, online sportsbooks, iLottery and fantasy sports games.

Prop ban latest

Prop no: North Carolina lawmakers want to ban college player prop bets, months after opening the newest online sports-betting market. State Rep. Marcia Morey, a former Olympian, has indicated she will submit a bill by Thursday’s deadline.

Lawmakers began the legislative meeting season in Raleigh on April 24, which will run until July 31.

NCAA President Charlie Baker has called upon states to ban prop bets following scandals involving, and alleged harassment of, college players. He believes the wagers, based on an athlete’s performance, risk undermining sports integrity.

A handful of other states have introduced bans, while some, such as Louisiana, have said they will bring in the ban this summer prior to the college and pro football season opening.

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Iowa College lawsuit

See you in court: A lawsuit has been filed by 26 athletes including Broncos defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike in the US District Court for the Southern District of Iowa against the state, the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Division of Criminal Investigation and several named investigators claiming civil rights violations.

Be civil: The suit alleges that the authorities performed warrantless checks using GeoComply tracking software to help them identify athletes betting within college facilities at the state’s two largest public universities, the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.

The original charges of unauthorized gambling against past and present Iowa State student athletes were brought last May.

However, four of the 16 had their charges dropped after prosecutors said that the prosecution was “no longer in the interest of justice” following the disclosure of an email from GeoComply to the DCI informing them their account would be disabled.

The email suggested the company believed the DCI may have exceeded the intended scope of the geolocation product’s use.

Mission statement: After an article in the Des Moines Register earlier this month, which divulged information about GeoComply’s involvement in the Iowa State investigation, the company issued a statement to say its “mission in Iowa and beyond” remains one equipping its clients with geolocation compliance, KYC and anti-fraud solutions.

“When required by law or regulation, our technology plays a pivotal role in lawful investigations because it provides indispensable and accurate data,” the statement added.
“The stark contrast between Iowa’s regulated betting landscape and California’s challenges, particularly highlighted by the recent Shohei Ohtani case, underscores the value of our work and the advantages of regulating sports betting.”

Bulgarian blackout

That’s no good for me: Bulgarian media and sports groups have pushed back against a proposed near total ad ban, stating it will have “lasting negative consequences.” A statement by the Bulgarian Gaming Association, Bulgarian Gambling Association and the Association of Organizers of Gambling Games and Activities in Bulgaria slammed the proposals, which were adopted at first reading by parliamentarians on April 26.

The groups said the proposed amendments to the Gambling Act would harm the gambling industry, wider Bulgarian sport “and society as a whole.”
Other measures in the draft law include limits on the opening of gaming halls in areas where resident populations are under 5,000.
Operators said the bill contains no analysis of how many sites may have to close, the impact on jobs or how much money the state would lose.
A second reading is scheduled for today, Tuesday.

The proposed ad ban follows similar moves in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy. Ireland has a peak viewing TV ban. However, as noted above, industry group JDigital won a Supreme Court case to overturn Spain’s 2022 advertising blackout.

Calendar

May 6: Gaming in Spain
May 7: SBC Summit North America Player Protection Symposium
May 28-30: IAGA, Washington DC
June 6: Gaming in Holland

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