The UK Advertising Standards Authority has banned five ads for social casino operators, this ruling forms part of a wider piece of work on paid-for gambling-like ads, identified for investigation following intelligence gathered by the ASA.

The ASA challenged whether the ads misleadingly implied the social casino games were gambling products in which real-world money or tangible prizes could be won and withdrawn.

Dataverse Co. Ltd t/a Gamehaus said the ads were independently created by TikTok influencers who had submitted their content in response to tasks Gamehaus had posted through the TikTok Creative Challenge, a programme that allowed content creators to earn money by making ad creatives for different brands.

They confirmed that players of the game could not cash out any winnings for real-world money or tangible prizes. They said the game was designed for entertainment, and that all winnings were virtual with no real-world value.

Gamehaus said it was crucial that players understood the app was not a gambling app where they could win real-world money or tangible prizes, and they aimed to make that clear through various means. They said they would enhance their review process to ensure that all submitted content aligned with their guidelines and clearly communicated the non-gambling nature of their games.

They confirmed the ads had been withdrawn in the UK and gave assurances that the ads would not be used in the future. They said they would take measures to ensure their future advertising clearly communicated the non-gambling nature of the game to prevent any potential misunderstandings.

The ads must not appear again in the form complained of. The ASA told Dataverse Co. Ltd t/a Gamehaus to ensure that they did not imply consumers could win real-world money or tangible prizes.