LeoVegas Cleared by ASAV from Recent Complaints

LeoVegas has had a good run so far. It has announced one of the first initiatives focused on training more girls to pursue computer sciences and the casino generally has had a good reputation among regulators, gamers, and countries. Bar the recalcitrant Italy. Today, LeoVegas managed to defend its good name by obtaining clearance from ASA.

ASA Clears LeoVegas of Suspicion

ASA, the Advertising Standards Authority in the United Kingdom has cleared LeoVegas of allegations that two of its subsidiaries have flouted the established regulatory norms. As the highest authority on defending and judging the standards of the iGaming’s industry, ASA’s decision carries weight.

The organization was alerted against two of LeoVegas’ subsidiaries, to name 32Red and 21.co.uk. While the UKGC deals with the purely regulatory matter of things, ASA scrutinizes products closer and focuses on advertisements in particular.

In this case, LeoVegas had to explain why it had “portrayed gambling in a context of toughness,” which was a bizarre allegation to begin with. The marketing item in question was an ad of a man in a tuxedo playing blackjack. As the accusation stood, there was a racing heartbeat that could be heard as part of the voiceover of the commercial which led the accusers to complain about the “toughness”.

The argument didn’t hold much water there, and naturally, ASA dismissed it. In defending its operations, LeoVegas managed to cite a case from the past when it was asked to remove other items that could hardly be associated with communicating any negativity about gambling or, for that matter, attempting to hook customers at all costs.

A Fair Ruling After All

Even if the above narrative makes the accusation look flimsy, ASA considered the complaint with due seriousness before reaching a final ruling. The organization explained in detail why it had decided against taking any measures against LeoVegas and its affiliates, explaining,

We noted that the ad did not focus on the stakes he was betting on the hand. Indeed, the amount at which he was betting was unknown and there was no suggestion in the ad that he was taking a major risk. We considered that the player was experiencing a level of anticipation about his next move which could be experienced by any player during a game of blackjack.

The latest ruling in favor of the gambling company doesn’t mean that it has always been without fault. Back in May, LeoVegas was fined for accepting wagers from a problem gambler which undermined its reputation.

32Red managed to stave off a complaint intended at its advertisement policy. According to the complaint, the operator had intentionally promoted its “Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway” slot game, which related to a gambling show bearing the same name.

However, 32Red argued that the show in question, Saturday Night Takeaway, complied with the regulatory standards for a gambling show, ranking low on a pre-determined scale gauging how gambling-oriented the production is.

What was more 32Red continued, Saturday Night Takeaway was not targeting teenagers. Its viewership was diverse. By pulling official data, 32Red has been able to stave off the complaint completely.