ASA raps Pokerstars’ knuckles

The UK Advertising Standards Authority has ruled a breach in advertising codes regarding a PokerStars TV advertisement that broadcast in October 2017.

A complainant challenged whether the ad, which centered around a home poker game and a conversation on ‘bluffing’, exploited inexperienced poker players by suggesting that they could easily excel at the game and make large winnings, while the ASA challenged whether the ad portrayed gambling in the context of recklessness.

In its ruling, the ASA said: “We considered that the real life scenarios depicted in the ad gave the impression that a player could win at poker based on an ability to bluff in these circumstances.”

“We concluded that the ad portrayed gambling behaviour that was socially irresponsible and in the context of recklessness and therefore was in breach of the Code.”

The ad may not appear in its current form again.

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