Great Britain: Marketing Content Rules for Casino and Sportsbook Teams

How the rules fit together

The Commission's license condition SR 5.1.6 says: "All marketing of gambling products and services must be undertaken in a socially responsible manner." Licensees "must comply with the advertising codes of practice issued by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP)". For media the codes do not explicitly cover, licensees "should have regard to the principles included in these codes of practice as if they were explicitly covered".

Content and under-18s

CAP rule 16.3.12 says gambling marketing must not "be likely to be of strong appeal to children or young persons", and must not include "a person or character whose example is likely to be followed by those aged under 18 years or who has a strong appeal to those aged under 18". The strong appeal test replaced the older "particular appeal" test on October 1, 2022.

Rule 16.3.14 adds: "No-one who is, or seems to be, under 25 years old may be featured gambling or playing a significant role." The code allows 18 to 24 year olds only in marketing placed where a bet can be placed directly, such as the operator's own site, and only to illustrate a bet of which they are the subject.

Guidance updated on October 14, 2025 gives a rule of thumb for social media: "at least a total of 100,000 social media follower accounts registered to people under-18" indicates strong appeal. An ASA enforcement notice on social media ads, with active monitoring from June 11, 2026, lists current Premier League footballers (and UK players at top European clubs) and current England players, including AI representations of them, as high-risk content.

For content teams, that means:

• Avoid characters, art styles and references that resonate with under-18s, including in game guides and blog imagery.
• Check the profile of any athlete, influencer or celebrity before featuring them, and keep the evidence.
• Do not rely on a simple age tick box on social channels; the ASA has said self-reported ages are not enough.

Football previews carry most of this risk. The sportsbook editorial calendar guide covers how previews and evergreen pages can stay within the under-18 rules.

Affiliates and third parties

LCCP SR 1.1.2 states: "Licensees are responsible for the actions of third parties with whom they contract." Contracts must bind third parties as if "bound by the same licence conditions and subject to the same codes of practice", with termination rights, "including for affiliates where they have breached a relevant advertising code of practice." The ASA has said operators are "at least jointly" responsible for affiliate content. An affiliate article about a welcome offer is therefore operator marketing for compliance purposes.

Bonus content since January 19, 2026

The Commission's revised SR 5.1.1 requires bonus terms to be "clear, transparent, and fair" and "readily accessible". Licensees must not "Apply wagering requirements ... over a maximum of 10 times" or "Include more than one type of gambling product (betting, casino, bingo, and lottery) within an incentive." The Commission decided this in a consultation response published on March 26, 2025, and the rules took effect on January 19, 2026.

Pages written before 2026 that describe 35 times or 40 times wagering as normal, or combined "bet and get casino spins" offers, now describe offers licensees cannot make in Great Britain. Update or retire them. The Commission has not banned the word "free"; it leaves that to CAP, which requires that offers are not presented misleadingly.

Pre-publication checklist for GB content

1. Nothing likely to be of strong appeal to under-18s; no one under 25 in a significant role, except 18 to 24 year olds illustrating a bet on themselves where a bet can be placed directly.
2. No portrayal of gambling as indispensable, a solution to problems or a route to success.
3. Bonus descriptions match 2026 rules and link to full terms.
4. Affiliate content reviewed by the operator under the contract terms.
5. Direct marketing only to customers who opted in for that product and channel (SR 5.1.12, from May 2025).

Questions

Does the CAP Code apply to affiliate websites?

Yes. Affiliate content promoting an operator is marketing, and the ASA holds operators at least jointly responsible for it. License condition SR 1.1.2 also makes operators responsible for the third parties they contract.

What is the maximum wagering requirement in Great Britain?

Ten times, under license condition SR 5.1.1 as revised with effect from January 19, 2026. The same change banned offers that combine different gambling products.

Can a GB casino page feature a footballer?

Only with great care. Current Premier League and England players are flagged as high risk by the ASA because of their appeal to under-18s, and the strong appeal rule applies to all gambling marketing.