Karamba Casino Advert Banned by Advertising Standards Authority
Major UK online casino, Karamba, has removed an advert for the slot game Starburst after it was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority.
Karamba Casino
ASA were alerted to the post on Karamba.com, titled ‘Tips and tricks on how to win at Starburst’, after a complaint was filed that accused the advert of being ‘socially irresponsible.’ The complainant continued, stating that it ‘misleadingly implied’ that the strategies described would lead to the player making money.
Starburst is a popular slot game, featured on a number of online casinos, and so the appeal of a tips article is clear. The ASA’s ban follows their long history of trying to clamp down on casinos attempts to link gambling to financial gain or security.
This was referenced in the complaint, which stated that the strategies suggested ‘encouraged gambling behaviour that could lead to financial, social or emotional harm’. This is because the advert made statements such as: ‘wins at the minimum bet rate are much less frequent and pay out significantly smaller sums.’
The ASA stated that the ad ‘must not appear again in its current form.’ In a statement on the sanction, it reported that it had told Karamba to ‘ensure their future marketing communications contained nothing that was likely to encourage irresponsible gambling behaviour that could lead to financial, social or emotional harm.’
They also called into question the truth of the claims made in the tips article, saying that the casino had implied that certain strategies would increase the player’s odds of winning were not true and that in future ‘Karamba.com must hold adequate substantiation in support of such claims.’
In response to the sanction, Karamba released a statement saying that it was ‘dismayed’ to learn that the advert had been available to be read by the public, as it had been published in error. The ‘Starburst Strategy’ page had not gone through the appropriate internal procedures before publishing, according to AG Communications, which operates Karamba.com.
They continued, stating that the brand ‘operates under six different regulations with a strong focus on complying with the different regulatory guidelines and standards.’ Following this ‘human error’, the company vowed that there would not be a ‘reoccurrence’, as they have ‘tightened our procedures as well as undertaken additional measures to ensure all new marketing materials are fully compliant with the regulatory standards.’
