Gambling Ads Banned from Children’s Looney Tunes App

19.06.2019, 17:45

Four UK gambling ads have appeared on the Looney Tunes World of Mayhem app back in February. In their true fashion, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned the ads.

Looney Tunes World of Mayhem is a mobile game featuring many famous cartoon characters. The game also features “gems” that can be bought, earned by doing tasks or by watching ads. This is where the gambling ads appeared.

The ads were for EuroMillions lottery, William Hill Vegas, Betfair Bingo and Dunder. Most of the companies have responded and claimed that an affiliate Tapjoy has placed the ads. EuroMillions, Betfair and Dunder have since stopped working with the affiliate. William Hill, on the other hand, has ensured that the ad wouldn’t appear on that app.

The game publisher, Scopely, claimed that the app wasn’t intended for children. According to them, children under 16 are not permitted to play their games in the EU.

Nevertheless, Google Play Store indicated that the app was for children from the age of 7. This was another argument of the ASA to ban the ads. The association also ruled that while the characters are well-known by the older generation, the cartoonish nature of it is likely to appeal to children.

This is not the first time that ASA bans cartoon-based gambling ads. Last month, a Monopoly gambling ad was banned. The ASA claimed that a mascot from 1935 would appeal to children. This is not to say that ASA only goes out after appealing to children. Recently, a gambling ad on Tinder was banned, claiming that it somehow proposes sexual success from gambling.

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