The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has warned William Hill and Flutter Entertainment to refine their advertising targeting strategies, after their promotions appeared in Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem, an app seen as being of particular appeal to minors.
Flutter Entertainment responded that the ad had been placed by mobile engagement platform Tapjoy. Following the ASA’s complaint, it discovered that the app’s publisher had mistakenly opted in to accepting advertising content at a “mature-plus” level for the app.
William Hill also said the fault lay with the game publisher, but added that it should not have appeared in the app regardless of who was at fault. It had blacklisted the app, meaning its ads would no longer appear in Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem, via Tapjoy or any other affiliate.
ASA upheld its complaint, pointing out that the app had a PEGI 7 rating in the UK Google Play store, meaning it was suitable for players aged seven and above. “Given the use of cartoon characters, cartoonish violence and the relatively simple nature of the game, we considered it was likely to appeal to many under-18s,” ASA said.
It added that the app was likely to be of particular appeal to minors and that its player base was likely to include under-18s. It noted that Tapjoy’s platform allowed advertisers to target campaigns using interest-based data gathered from gaming preferences and self-reported demographic data, such as dates of birth.
