The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) has started research assessing the dynamics attached to betting-related esports marketing across UK advertising channels.
Updating industry and esports stakeholders, CAP explained that its research is being undertaken in response to safer gambling charity GambleAware’s recent publication on esports betting advertising being promoted through social media verticals.
The standards agency explained that ‘comprehensive work’ will be undertaken to help incumbents better understand the marketing and promotion of an ‘emerging sports’ for UK betting.
CAP confirmed that further esports research is needed to ensure that there are no regulatory gaps on consumer advertising protection of new audiences.
For the time being, CAP underscores to all UK licensed betting incumbents that esports marketing must comply with its current standards and rules related to gambling advertising.
CAP policy teams can be contacted on guidance related to how to ‘stay within its advertising rules’ when creating esports media campaigns.
Moving forward CAP detailed that its esports research will form a vital part to its continued monitoring of the gambling industry, in which the agency is exploring the further use of ad-technologies to identify non-compliant advertisers.
Closing its statement, CAP confirmed that it will fully respond to GambleAware’s esports report by Autumn 2020.