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The UK Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint against SkillOnNet over a paid-for Instagram ad for Gecko Play, finding that the ad portrayed gambling behaviour in a socially irresponsible way. The regulator said the ad breached CAP Code rules 16.1 and 16.3.1 after concluding that its “pistachio” analogy suggested gambling was compulsive and encouraged continued play after losses in pursuit of a win.
The issue was a comedy-style line comparing gambling to eating pistachios: a good result makes you want another, and a bad result makes you want a good one “even more.” The ASA said consumers would likely read that as promoting repetitive gambling and gambling again after losses.
The ASA also found that the stand-up comedy format and audience laughter trivialised repeated gambling, despite the inclusion of an 18+ warning, responsible gambling messaging and the GambleAware logo. The ruling reinforces the position that humorous tone or creative presentation will not protect operators where the underlying message is seen to normalise harmful gambling behaviour.
