The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued a formal ruling against SkillOnNet Ltd, trading as Gecko Play, following a controversial paid Instagram advertisement.
The ad featured a stand-up comedy routine that compared the habit of gambling to “eating pistachios,” a metaphor the regulator deemed socially irresponsible.
Trivializing Harmful Behavior
The comedian in the advert delivered a line that proved to be the catalyst for the ruling:
“Gambling is really like eating pistachios, if you get a good pistachio, you want another good one, if you get a bad one, you want a good one even more.”
The ASA concluded that this message, presented in a light-hearted, laughing environment, implied that players should continue wagering after losses in pursuit of a win. This was judged to violate CAP Code rules 16.1 and 16.3, which prohibit marketing that portrays or condones compulsive gambling behavior.
Operator Response and Regulatory Action
Despite the inclusion of the GambleAware logo and relevant warnings, the ASA noted:
“We therefore considered the ad gave the impression that the decision to gamble, even in the face of losses, should be taken lightly… For that reason, we concluded that the ad was likely to encourage gambling behaviour that was harmful.”
SkillOnNet argued that the ad was intended as “observational humor” rather than a promotion for persistent play. However, the operator accepted the ruling and removed the advert immediately. The ASA regulator has ordered that the campaign must not appear again and instructed the brand to ensure future marketing does not trivialize gambling or encourage frequent participation.
