With the advent of online gambling, it has become quite a natural sight to see gambling adverts at social events. Half the reason why gambling websites and organizations put up advertisements is to create awareness among people of the world. The awareness about gambling lifts the taboo off the evils of the same. This means the gambling forums can encourage Responsible Gambling and Fair Play among gamblers and non-gamblers worldwide.
However, one might wonder what a gambling advertising code may be since our article is based on it. A Gambling Advertising Code is a code that is given to organizations to ensure they perform advertising in a responsible and civil manner. All of the best NZ operators at CasinoDeps already supported this innovation. It becomes the social responsibility of the gambling platforms and authorities to present themselves through an advertisement in a decent manner so that people are not tempted to play carelessly.
Apart from being decent, the advertisements must be legal as well as truthful. The audience must understand the concepts of fair play and security when they look at the advertisements. The main objective of a Gambling Advertise Code is to prevent the wrong notions in the vulnerable age group of children and young adults.
The Gambling Advertise Code puts down a set of rules and regulations that platforms must follow – these are known as the Principles and Rules. The Principles and Rules are put down by the Advertising Standards Code following the Gambling Act 2003 and the Racing Act 2003. All the legal and social issues are kept in mind to formulate the Principles and Rules of gambling advertisements.
How Does The Gambling Advertise Code Work?
The Gambling Advertise Code is one that works when any gambling platform or gambling authority chooses to advertise their services over any media of their choice. However, if the purpose of the advertisement is to create awareness about the risks of wagering then the Gambling Advertise Code does not come into the picture.
The gambling code has three primary parts to it which make it complete. They are:
- Principles
- Rules
- Guidelines
The Principles of the code set a standard for advertising while the Rules put down ways in which the principles can be understood and applied. The Guidelines make sure that the rules are fully well explained and adhered to by the gambling organizations of New Zealand. The correct interpretation of the Gambling Advertise Code is a necessary and vital step. There are two main principles of the Gambling Advertise Code. They are:
- Social Responsibility
- Truthful Presentation
What Happens If There Is A Misuse Or Breach Of The Code?
In case an organization fails to understand the Gambling Advertise Code properly and the go-ahead to advertise their content with a breach in the guidelines that may cause problem gambling behaviour, the Complaints Board looks into the advertised content along with several other factors to determine the seriousness of the case.
A complex case arises when the advertisement does not obey one of the Principles but follows the Rules and Guidelines. The factors that are taken into account when such a case arises include the standards of the gambling community, the context of the advertisement, the audience it is intended for, and the medium through which it has been advertised.
Furthermore, the previous decisions are also taken into account along with the service that is on the advertisement. After determining the issue, there is a decision and consequent action according to the situation.
More On the Principles of Gambling Advertise Code
The Principle of Social Responsibility ensures that children under the age of 14 and young adults who fall under the age bracket of 14-18 are not the target audience for the gambling advertisements. The use of bright colours, toys, cartoons, animations, or animals in a gambling advertisement catches the eye of young minds and gets them interested.
This is something the Gambling Advertise Code avoids altogether in the First Principle. Furthermore, the display of the advertisement occurs where the audience does not have a large proportion of children – children must be below 25%.
There must be no promotion of gambling addiction or superstitions. False claims, misinformation, and wrong advice are strongly discouraged under the second Principle of the Gambling Advertise Code.
Conclusion
The Gambling Advertise Code in New Zealand makes the act of advertising gambling and wagering platforms safe for adults as well as the underage audience. It becomes necessary to interpret and implement the gambling code with utmost care to ensure a high standard of social responsibility among the gambling fraternity.