EGBA members highly compliant with minor protection measures in traditional advertising, report finds

European Gaming and Betting Association members are highly compliant with minor protection measures in traditional advertising channels, according to the EGBA's latest monitoring exercise of its pan-European responsible advertising code. However, the association has identified areas for improvement on social media.

The key findings were part of the association's second monitoring exercise, conducted by the independent European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA). Following a first exercise in 2022, this latest assessment focused on minor protection measures, "revealing strong compliance in traditional advertising channels while identifying areas for improvement in social media."

The monitoring, which concluded in December 2024, assessed 120 individual advertisements from EGBA members across multiple platforms including television, YouTube, websites, and social media channels in four selected markets: Greece, Spain, Romania, and the UK.

Self-Regulatory Organisations (SROs) in these markets assessed the compliance of the advertisements with the EGBA code and national regulatory and self-regulatory requirements, focusing particularly on content moderation, managing the exposure of minors, and safeguards against minors’ access to gambling content online.

The results demonstrated high compliance among EGBA members in television advertising and YouTube platforms, with the successful implementation of key minor protection measures such as age-limit requirements and restrictions on the use of celebrities and cartoon characters.

Social media advertising also showed strong adherence to age-limit symbol requirements, but the monitoring identified a need for more consistent application of age-gating mechanisms and forward advice notices across members’ social media profiles.

The assessment of influencer marketing practices of two EGBA members, in Spain and the UK, revealed strong compliance with content moderation and appeal restrictions while highlighting the need for enhanced transparency through consistent use of paid marketing disclosures (e.g. using an #ad hashtag).

“This latest monitoring exercise demonstrates our members’ commitment to responsible advertising and minor protection,” said Maarten Haijer, Secretary General, EGBA. 

“While we’re encouraged by our members’ high compliance rates across traditional media channels, we recognize there’s more work to be done in the social media space. At EGBA, we’re dedicated to promoting the highest advertising standards and will continue to work with our members to strengthen compliance with our code across all platforms.”

EGBA and its members will use the monitoring results to further enhance the effectiveness of the code and will continue to advocate for responsible advertising practices across the European gambling sector, the association said. As part of this commitment, the trade body invited operators who are not members of EGBA to sign up for the code.