UK ads watchdog finds fault with “misleading” KamaGames blackjack advert
The advert had claimed the game “no purchases”.
UK.- The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has deemed a social media ad by KamaGames to be “misleading”. It found fault with the ad’s claim that a blackjack game Blackjackist featured “no purchases”
Published on X and seen on April 2, the advert read: “No annoying notifications. No purchases. Just. Good. Old. Blackjack”. However, an academic researcher in game regulation lodged a complaint arguing that the game did contain in-game purchases, including random-item purchasing.
KamaGames Ltd t/a Blackjackist responded that the “No purchases” claim referred to the fact that players could play the full game experience without making any purchases. They said that “chips” were earned in-game and gifted daily, which allowed for continuous play without requiring a purchase to be made. Because players received chips through gameplay and daily gifts, purchases were optional, rather than essential. It stressed that in-game purchases did not affect the ability to play or progress within the game.
It insisted that the game featured no loot boxes or random-item purchasing mechanisms. It acknowledged that CAP Guidance says advertising for games with in-game purchases should make the presence of these clear if material to consumer decisions but said the claim was made in the context of gameplay experience where purchases were not required. As such, it argued the ad did not imply that purchases were unavailable, but rather that they were not necessary to play the game.
The advert was withdrawn all the same, and the ASA has now concluded that according to its evaluation of the rules, marketers should have ensured that advertising for the game made clear that it contained in-game purchasing. It considered that consumers would understand the claim “No purchases” to mean that the game Blackjackist did not contain any in-app purchases.
“We considered the presentation of the claim in the ad, which appeared together with the claims ‘No annoying notifications’ and ‘Just. Good. Old. Blackjack’ reinforced the impression that the game did not contain any in-app purchases and was purely focused on gameplay,” the ASA said.
“We understood, however, that Blackjackist contained virtual currency (“chips”) as well as items such as ‘lottery tickets’ and ‘free spins’, which were available to purchase with real money. We further understood that those items provided players with rewards that contained an element of chance. We also noted that Blackjackist’s Google Play Store page stated that the game contained in-game purchases, including random items. “
The watchdog concluded that the ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 3.1 (Misleading advertising). As a result, it must not appear again in the same form. The ASA told KamaGames Ltd t/a Blackjackist to ensure that future ads for the game did not mislead consumers.
Earlier this week, the ASA announced that it had closed a loophole that exempted non-UK-based gambling operators from compliance with the CAP Code for advertising. All Gambling Commission-licensed gaming operators must now abide by the code, including those based overseas.
