The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) the UK’s regulator of advertising has amended the Direct and Promotional marketing (the CAP Code), and extended the remit of the Code.

From today it applies to non-paid-for online marketing communications targeted at UK consumers by advertisers who are subject to licensing conditions from a UK public authority or other UK public body requiring compliance with the CAP Code – even where the advertiser does not have a UK-registered company address.

This amendment brings into scope social media marketing communications targeted at UK consumers by licensed gambling operators on their own channels (sometimes referred to as content marketing), regardless of whether the operators are registered in the UK.

The Gambling Commission’s licensing conditions require compliance with the CAP Code and allow the ASA Council to rule consistently on such ads by any licensed gambling operator, no matter where they are based. CAP does not consider that the amendment will extend the Code to other categories of advertisers without a UK-registered address.