How are affiliates tackling gambling advertisement hurdles?

It’s safe to say that the gambling industry is a massively saturated sector – from retail stores and online-only brands, to high profile football shirt sponsorships and prominent TV campaigns.
However, the industry has been hampered following the introduction of the April 1 legislation after a maximum limit on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) was slashed from £100 to £2. The new limits have posed a number of challenges to both operators and industry stakeholders – and that isn’t going to end any time soon.
The newest challenge set to face the industry will come into play at the start of the 2019/20 football season in the shape of the enforcement of the whistle-to-whistle advertising ban. The ban means gambling ads cannot be shown in the UK during live sports coverage before 9pm, from five minutes before the event begins and until five minutes after it finishes.
It must come as no surprise then that gambling companies have been forced to be much more creative with their advertising campaigns.
The cull in TV advertising has meant that gambling brands and affiliates have diversified their marketing strategies, from social media and whatsapp groups to perimeter boards and shirt sponsorships.
Ladbrokes Coral have placed much more emphasis on its YouTube show, the Kick Off, fronted by football influencer True Geordie. The show, live-streamed every weekend to the True Geordie subscribers, the show has “massively overperformed” in terms of new signups, clicks to the Ladbrokes site and money deposited, according to the head of social at Ladbrokes Coral, Elliot Hackney.
Another option that has been suggested for affiliates and operators alike is the establishment of Whatsapp communities as a means of promoting the latest gambling offers and best odds. This notion sidesteps the idea of banning in-play advertisements, while also giving punters the chance to place a bet in a matter of minutes.
In other sectors, there are a number of companies that are offering affiliate marketing options using Whatsapp groups. Affiliates are able to contact a wide range of people to referring products, apps and other media files through URL’s and shortened links.
While we cannot yet say for definite what will be the true impact of the advertising ban, what we can confirm is that affiliates are going to have to look closely at the ways in which they are promoting their products to ensure that they remain within the remit of current legislation.