Gambling operator rapped over “cute” pink elephant promoting online slot
While the character was central to the design of the online slot game, the watchdog warned that it could have strong appeal to children.
UK.- The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has partially ruled against Mr Vegas in a complaint over online slot game promotions on Facebook that featured “cute” cartoon characters. The regulator examined a social media campaign that highlighted four online casino titles available on its platform.
The games featured in the ad were PINK ELEPHANTS 2, SWEET BONANZA, BIG BASS BONANZA, and RAZOR RETURNS. Each incorporates stylised characters central to their design. Mr Vegas argued that the titles were intended for an adult audience and were developed by providers licensed by the British Gambling Commission.
PINK ELEPHANTS 2 drew the most criticism. Mr Vegas claimed that the game’s pink elephant mascot had exaggerated eyes intended to make it look “intimidating” and therefore didn’t resemble toys or children’s programming.
The ASA disagreed. “We considered the image was ‘cute’ and surreal rather than scary,” it said in its ruling.
The watchdog said that elements of the advert evoked similarities with Ice Age, the popular Disney film franchise. The robotic shark used to promote RAZOR RETURNS was also judged likely to “strongly appeal to under 18s” although no concerns were raised about the other two titles.
Mr Vegas stressed that Meta’s ad management tools had been set to target only users over 18. However, the ASA pointed to Ofcom’s May 2025 report, which found that 30 per cent of UK children aged 3–17 used Facebook, including 56 per cent of those aged 16–17 – something that is currently a matter of debate amid proposals to restrict social media use for minors.
For now, the ASA has instructed Mr Vegas to avoid using content that could strongly resonate with younger audiences in future campaigns. “We considered that, even if they reflected the style and content of those games, the imagery in the tiles needed to be carefully selected to avoid being of strong appeal to under-18s,” it said.
It noted that CAP Code guidance states that some types of animation could be of high risk of strong appeal to children and should be avoided, including “child-oriented cartoon content or animated styles and characters like ‘cuddly’ or ‘cute’ animals, princesses or pirates with exaggerated features”. It added that the guidance also states that generic characters related to stories or themes that were popular among children, including robots, should be avoided.
