BGC Praises Facebook Feature That Allows Consumers to Opt out of Gambling Ads

The Betting and Gaming Council has commended Facebook for its decision to shore up responsible gambling practices and introduce an “opt-out” feature added in to allow consumers to automatically filter gambling content, such as betting advertisements. 

This comes shortly after Reset Australia offered scathing criticism of the social media giant, which it accused of scraping children’s data to fuel predatory “stalker ads.” Yet, the social media company is seemingly unfazed by those accusations and continues to work with regulators to enforce measures that protect consumers.

Facebook Lets You Ditch Gambling Ads

According to the BGC, the present feature is a step in the right direction. Consumers who wish to never again see gambling-related ads will be able to choose not to, Facebook explains. The feature is a collaboration between the social media giant and BGC’s own efforts to provide the United Kingdom with a cleaner advertisement environment.

There has been significant criticism directed at the current advertisement space in the UK across various mediums, including “school-run” radio hours. The present changes in advertisement policy by Facebook come on top of an updated code of conduct for what is a socially responsible advertisement in the country.

As a result, all BGC members must comply with basic rules of advertisement, such as targeting consumers who are aged 25 or older. 

Improving Gambling Advertisement Space for Consumers 

BGC is not only reaching out to Facebook in a bid to introduce tighter controls over the advertisement space and help clean up the gambling industry’s slate clean. BGC chief executive Michael Dugher outlined the commitment that is in front of its members:

“The regulated betting and gaming industry is determined to promote safer gambling, unlike the unsafe and growing online black market, which has none of the safeguards which are commonplace among BGC members.”

BGC has said that it has reached out to Twitter as well, hoping to reduce the impact of social media gambling ads on unintended audiences. This is particularly important as social gambling ads have proven more appealing to children than intended audiences. Dugher has praised the efforts done so far to up the advertisement standards in the regulated gambling industry and said: 

“I welcome this move by Facebook, and I would urge all social media and search platforms to provide the ability for users to opt-out of viewing betting adverts.”

BGC chief executive Michael Dugher 

Gambling advertisement continues to be a pesky issue for regulators and operators. Lawmakers have been pushing against most forms of advertisement. The UK still benefits from a liberal market compared to places such as Spain and Italy, where gambling advertisement has been all but eradicated.