The advertising watchdog has upheld complaints about a paid-search ad from Optival stating it was not targeted responsibly.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has warned Optival for its affiliate site appearing in search ads for “self exclusion bookies”.
A paid-for search ad for bestbookiesandbettingsites.co.uk, an affiliate comparison website owned by Optival, appeared in searches for self exclusion.
The text stated: “Top 15 betting sites UK – Compare the best UK bookmakers […] Claim your exclusive first bet bonus for your next UK betting account. Discover the best welcome bonus offers by UK top online sports betting brands for 2025!”
The ASA challenged whether the ad was irresponsibly targeted.
In response, Optival carried out a full review of their search term reports and found no record of the phrase ‘self exclusion’, which would cause their ads to be shown.
The company told the advertising watchdog it “maintained dedicated negative keyword lists designed to block searches relating to self-exclusion, GamStop and problem gambling” and believed this was an isolated incident.
Although Optival claimed it would strengthen its safeguards to prevent future campaigns appearing against such searches, the ASA has upheld the complaint.
The ASA ruled the ad breached its CAP Code as it had “not been responsibly targeted”.
The regular said a consumer who would be searching using the phrase “self exclusion bookies” is likely to be a vulnerable person looking to manage or reduce their exposure to gambling ads.
Therefore an ad promoting online betting sites and offering welcome bonuses “was not appropriate to appear in response to that search”.
Under the CAP code, ads for gambling must take into account and protect vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited.
With this in mind, the ASA said: “[…] Marketers who placed ads for gambling related services should have extremely robust controls in place to prevent their ads from being inappropriately targeted.”
The regulator expected Optival to have such robust safeguarding measures in place and has told the firm that bestbookiesandbettingsites.co.uk must no longer appear in searches for ‘self exclusion bookies’ again.
