William Hill and Paddy Power Appeared in an App for Kids | Media

Advertisements for bookmakers William Hill and Paddy Power Betfair appeared in an approved mobile phone app for seven-year-olds, featuring cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, in an apparent error that was described as unacceptable.

The Advertising Standards Authority has maintained complaints after users of a game called Looney Tunes World of Mayhem have been invited to view ads for betting companies in exchange for "gems", tokens used to buy items in the game.

In each case, users were asked to deposit a minimum of £ 10 on a gaming account to receive the gems.

"Given the use of cartoon characters, caricature violence and the relatively simple nature of the game, we thought it might appeal to many young people under the age of 18," he said. said the regulator.

The ASA had previously banned a published game advertisement in an ITV-related application. I'm a celebrity, get me out of here after the Guardian has expressed concern about its potential impact on children, including deputy leader of the Labor Party Tom Watson.

Both William Hill and Paddy Power have stated that the appearance of their commercials in the Looney Tunes game was the fault of Tapjoy, a US mobile advertising company.

Tapjoy told ASA that she had accidentally labeled the game as being suitable for advertising to "adult gamers" and had now corrected the error, thus preventing it from reappearing.

He downplayed the kids' appeal of the Looney Tunes game, in which players choose characters such as Porky Pig and Road Runner and fight each other with comic weapons.

"Tapjoy said that while older adults badociated Looney Tunes characters with their own childhood, the app in question used characters and entertainment properties dating back to the 1930s and 1940s," said the ASA in its decision.

The ASA said that Tapjoy also pointed to Pegi's score of 7 on the game, which indicated the "minimum" level of maturity required to play the game, not necessarily the age group for which it was intended.

Tapjoy also pointed out that its platform allows advertisers to target their campaigns more closely by using data from other user preferences and self-reported demographic details, but neither William Hill nor Paddy Power chose this option.

The company told the Guardian that it had "a long-standing policy against using Tapjoy with users or apps for children" and corrected the mistake as soon as it was discovered.

Labor MP Carolyn Harris, a long-time campaigner on gambling, said, "I am deeply concerned that online gaming companies are marketing their products to children and encouraging them to play. This is totally unacceptable. "

Marc Etches, Managing Director of GambleAware, the UK's leading gaming charity, said: "The issues highlighted in this ASA decision rightly point out that it's unacceptable for children to be exposed to gambling online."

Scopely, the publisher of Looney Tunes World of Mayhem, said that advertising was against their advertising policy and that such advertisements were strictly prohibited as part of their contracts with their advertising partners.

The company also told ASA that she was not targeting children's games and that she "was not aware of any child playing Looney Tunes" World of Mayhem ".

The ASA said the ads should not reappear without more effective tools to make sure they would not be seen by the kids.