Casumo has assured SBC that it “prides itself on its record of customer protection and regulatory compliance” after one of its advertisements was condemned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
A paid-for online display ad for Casumo’s “Spinumo” promotion was flagged in August by the advertising regulator’s newly-developed AI-driven Active Ad Monitoring System (AAMS).
The ASA upheld the complaint, finding that the ad breached CAP Code Edition 12 rules 16.3 and 16.3.1 by encouraging socially irresponsible gambling behaviour that could lead to financial harm.
AAMS makes near-instant impact
The ad was flagged mere months after the AAMS was introduced to improve the way that the ASA could identify advertising rule breaches, particularly breaches in relation to targeting a young audience.
Casumo’s advert triggered alarm bells at the ASA in early August 2026. The AAMS was brought in on 11 June 2026.
The promotional material advertised the operator’s “Spinumo” offer from July-August, where completing a “daily mission” required depositing £50 and wagering £200 to earn one wheel spin.
Wheel spins could include prizes of up to 100 free spins (10p per spin) and the promotion could be used up to five times a day. Over the entire 28-day promotional window, maximum participation amounted to £7,000 in deposits and £28,000 in wagering.
“UP TO 100 SPINS ON SPINUMO,” the text read, alongside a “sign up” button and “QUEST. SPIN. WIN.”
The ASA stepped in, taking umbrage with the “daily mission” element to this which it said presented gambling as a repeatable challenge, directly incentivising increased activity.
“The description of the qualifying activity as a ‘daily mission’ alongside the wording ‘QUEST. SPIN. WIN.’, presented gambling as a challenge that could be completed repeatedly,” the regulator stated.
“In the context of a promotion offering up to five wheel spins per day, we considered that encouraged consumers to maximise their participation.”
It also noted the “substantial gambling activity” required by any consumer, which it deemed to be too extreme for the potential reward.
The ASA continued: “Although consumers could choose whether to complete further missions, we considered that the mechanic risked encouraging continued gambling, particularly among more vulnerable consumers.
“The ad must not appear again in the form complained of.”
This ruling represents a first-of-its-kind for the industry. It marks the first time that the AAMS system has flagged a gambling advertisement and subsequently led to an ASA judgement.
Operators have already been warned of ASA rule breaches, and those being slightly more carefree will need to up their compliance levels as the AAMS becomes a more frequent method of flagging irresponsible advertising.
Casumo explains its reasoning
For its part, Casumo issued the following statement to SBC: “Casumo prides itself on its record of customer protection and regulatory compliance.
“All regulatory interventions are carefully considered by us, and we are constantly reviewing our processes to ensure that we continue to reflect best practice across all areas of compliance, including advertising under the codes and guidelines of the ASA.”
To the ASA, the operator centred its defence on the fact that it made the terms and conditions clear and that the gaining maximum benefits from the promotion was not a requirement for customers.
Therefore, Casumo argued that its promotion did not encourage frequent or repetitive gambling, nor add pressure on consumers to deposit in order to gain the maximum potential reward.
It added that the “QUEST. SPIN. WIN.” wording was used to describe the “promotional journey” rather than to “suggest that gambling was a route to financial gain or to encourage customers to gamble more frequently, beyond their means or until they achieved a particular outcome”.
However, the defence was unsatisfactory in the eyes of the ASA.
It was Casumo which has been reprimanded this time, but all gambling marketing teams in the UK industry have to be more compliant than ever as the ASA is now even more vigilant and the sector faces increased public scrutiny.
