"Free Spins" banned in UK?

Nicola

Closed Account
Joined
Jan 22, 2013
Location
Malta
Had this e-mail from Rizk today...

"Due to recent events and change in rules and regulations in the UK, free spins are no longer allowed to be called free spins. You must now call them extra spins"

Can anyone actually confirm that is true? I paid the ASA for a
You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.
(worthwhile for every webmaster for peace of mind) on all of the sites I manage and this term wasn't flagged on any of them.

This UKGC/ASA clampdown is starting to get annoying. Only yesterday one of my friends got his affiliate account closed permanently after not adding "18+" to every YouTube video. With over 300+ active players he was pissed at the one strike rule by the CM accredited casino.

In most cases the 100 free spins on Starburst doesn't tempt me but I suppose many here like a freebie?
 
Had this e-mail from Rizk today...

"Due to recent events and change in rules and regulations in the UK, free spins are no longer allowed to be called free spins. You must now call them extra spins"

Can anyone actually confirm that is true? I paid the ASA for a
You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.
(worthwhile for every webmaster for peace of mind) on all of the sites I manage and this term wasn't flagged on any of them.

This UKGC/ASA clampdown is starting to get annoying. Only yesterday one of my friends got his affiliate account closed permanently after not adding "18+" to every YouTube video. With over 300+ active players he was pissed at the one strike rule by the CM accredited casino.

In most cases the 100 free spins on Starburst doesn't tempt me but I suppose many here like a freebie?

Good. Gambling content should not be on YT imo. If it is should be restricted heavily.
 
Had this e-mail from Rizk today...

"Due to recent events and change in rules and regulations in the UK, free spins are no longer allowed to be called free spins. You must now call them extra spins"

Can anyone actually confirm that is true? I paid the ASA for a
You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.
(worthwhile for every webmaster for peace of mind) on all of the sites I manage and this term wasn't flagged on any of them.

This UKGC/ASA clampdown is starting to get annoying. Only yesterday one of my friends got his affiliate account closed permanently after not adding "18+" to every YouTube video. With over 300+ active players he was pissed at the one strike rule by the CM accredited casino.

In most cases the 100 free spins on Starburst doesn't tempt me but I suppose many here like a freebie?

I haven't had that email from them, nor any other casino, if it is true its pretty pathetic when they should be clamping down on spammers and casinos/affiliates who are actually breaking the rules, rather than making things harder for the honest ones for no good reason. If a casino emails me and tells me they have put 10 free spins in my account, they are that, free spins. Not extra spins, extra to what :confused:

As for your friend, I'm sorry but the rules aren't new, they have been around for a long time. Just because someone hasn't complied with them in the past doesn't mean he should get a free pass now. If its the casino I'm thinking of, then I have a feeling its not exactly just been done with no warning. I'm all for the UKGC and ASA clamping down on affiliates who think they don't have to comply with the same rules as everyone else.

Maybe email them back and ask what the changes to the rules and regulations are, as I'm not aware of any recent ones that would cause this to happen.

I have noticed many casinos have stated they have changed though, when in fact what they mean is, shit, we've been caught and fined, better take notice of the rules now'.
 
According to most countries' advertising standards free has to mean just that - of no cost.
I don't know why the casino business has been allowed to continue at this for so long.

It's unlikely any casino will want to be the first to make the necessary change of terminology, so I'm glad to see the UKGC take a stance.

I hope others will follow.


Freddy
 
I was told today about this also, from the same group. How much longer will the UKGC allow us to advertise in colour? Bright colours may appeal to some users. I see that Casumo has had their Casumo characters banned by the UK ASA as they may appeal to minors. At what point are they going to draw the line? I'm all up for Responsible Gambling, but at what point do the UKGC stop trying to control everything?

Gambling is meant to be fun, a pastime. With the tax on bonuses and tightening up of everything, I just feel the player is going to be one suffering in the long run.

Rob :)
 
Had this e-mail from Rizk today...

"Due to recent events and change in rules and regulations in the UK, free spins are no longer allowed to be called free spins. You must now call them extra spins"

Can anyone actually confirm that is true? I paid the ASA for a
You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.
(worthwhile for every webmaster for peace of mind) on all of the sites I manage and this term wasn't flagged on any of them.

This UKGC/ASA clampdown is starting to get annoying. Only yesterday one of my friends got his affiliate account closed permanently after not adding "18+" to every YouTube video. With over 300+ active players he was pissed at the one strike rule by the CM accredited casino.

In most cases the 100 free spins on Starburst doesn't tempt me but I suppose many here like a freebie?

Extra spins, yes it is true. It's a far better word as they're technically not free IF you need to deposit to claim them, or if you need to deposit to cash winnings out. There are however, real free spins which are dropped in a player's account with either no wagering or no subsequent deposit necessary to cash the winnings out. This though would obviously only apply to existing players - the UKGC is getting at offers to tempt new customers in, and these must in all circumstances be 'extra' as they are tied to a deposit at some stage. Fair enough.

As for YT you don't need to mark you videos 18+ themselves, but the LINKS you use from now-on should mention this if attached to the videos, same as on your web pages. So you would have 18+/Gamble Aware/then the link - ideally it would be like Casumo's link 7416 which takes visitors to the bonus terms, which they then close before signing-up.

Now the issue here is that unlike Casumo, some affy programmes haven't got a dedicated tracking link set up yet to be compliant but I imagine that over the new few weeks we will be getting told to use a certain link from now on if it's not a banner ad but a direct link. So eventually all your banners and links will take visitors to the terms first.

On my sites I've done overkill and put the 18+/Bonus Terms/Gamble Aware under every bloody banner, as well as a big 18+ at the top and more gamble aware sites at the bottom. For now (until the affy programmes send a correct trackable bonus terms link like Casumo) I've just made bonus terms page up for people to read, which each time I am provided with the correct compliant tracking code for that casino, I will replace with their specific terms.

And just to really piss my subscribers off, I will get rid of my video transfer and stick an 18+ one on instead, or a card with it.
 
Boy...if only they could be this stringent with casinos who still offer pending withdrawals that are reversible...and that are reversible as of Thursday nite all the way till Monday
 
I was told today about this also, from the same group. How much longer will the UKGC allow us to advertise in colour? Bright colours may appeal to some users. I see that Casumo has had their Casumo characters banned by the UK ASA as they may appeal to minors. At what point are they going to draw the line? I'm all up for Responsible Gambling, but at what point do the UKGC stop trying to control everything?

Gambling is meant to be fun, a pastime. With the tax on bonuses and tightening up of everything, I just feel the player is going to be one suffering in the long run.

Rob :)

Look on the bright side - they may ban Hugo, Koi Princess and other ELC-themed slots from UK players!!! :thumbsup: :D
 
Boy...if only they could be this stringent with casinos who still offer pending withdrawals that are reversible...and that are reversible as of Thursday nite all the way till Monday

That would be asking too much.

Much easier to go after the poor sod who is trying to put some bread on the table by being an affiliate.
 
Extra spins, yes it is true. It's a far better word as they're technically not free IF you need to deposit to claim them, or if you need to deposit to cash winnings out. There are however, real free spins which are dropped in a player's account with either no wagering or no subsequent deposit necessary to cash the winnings out. This though would obviously only apply to existing players - the UKGC is getting at offers to tempt new customers in, and these must in all circumstances be 'extra' as they are tied to a deposit at some stage. Fair enough.

As for YT you don't need to mark you videos 18+ themselves, but the LINKS you use from now-on should mention this if attached to the videos, same as on your web pages. So you would have 18+/Gamble Aware/then the link - ideally it would be like Casumo's link 7416 which takes visitors to the bonus terms, which they then close before signing-up.

Now the issue here is that unlike Casumo, some affy programmes haven't got a dedicated tracking link set up yet to be compliant but I imagine that over the new few weeks we will be getting told to use a certain link from now on if it's not a banner ad but a direct link. So eventually all your banners and links will take visitors to the terms first.

On my sites I've done overkill and put the 18+/Bonus Terms/Gamble Aware under every bloody banner, as well as a big 18+ at the top and more gamble aware sites at the bottom. For now (until the affy programmes send a correct trackable bonus terms link like Casumo) I've just made bonus terms page up for people to read, which each time I am provided with the correct compliant tracking code for that casino, I will replace with their specific terms.

And just to really piss my subscribers off, I will get rid of my video transfer and stick an 18+ one on instead, or a card with it.

I have made a footer on my webpages which I hope is fully compliant. The T's and C's are one click away, it shows 18+ and for those that do have a problem with gambling, there is link to Gamble Aware.

My Twitch page also has the same information. My streams are marked 18+.

Hopefully that is good enough.
 
I have made a footer on my webpages which I hope is fully compliant. The T's and C's are one click away, it shows 18+ and for those that do have a problem with gambling, there is link to Gamble Aware.

My Twitch page also has the same information. My streams are marked 18+.

Hopefully that is good enough.

As long as any advertising you do complies with the various legislation then you will be ok.

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Thats a link to a document from 2015 that pretty much says everything that casinos are now trying to say are new regulations. They aren't, they have been in place years.

I'm also not sure they are doing things right. Putting the terms and conditions 1 clock away is all well and good, but it doesn't have to be a link to pages of them, just the significant ones. The full terms can be further away. Putting a mass of text in front of someone will stop them reading them and mean that the measures put in place don't help.

However the '1 click rule' only applies if there is no space for the significant t&c's to be placed on the page where the ad is, so, for example, if you have a small 250*250 banner on your site and there is no room, then that will be fine to just put what people are doing. However if you have a review page, then there is no excuse not to put the terms on that page, and I am pretty certain T&C apply, 18+ etc will not be acceptable the next time the ASA decide to take a look at it.
 
As long as any advertising you do complies with the various legislation then you will be ok.

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.


Thats a link to a document from 2015 that pretty much says everything that casinos are now trying to say are new regulations. They aren't, they have been in place years.

I'm also not sure they are doing things right. Putting the terms and conditions 1 clock away is all well and good, but it doesn't have to be a link to pages of them, just the significant ones. The full terms can be further away. Putting a mass of text in front of someone will stop them reading them and mean that the measures put in place don't help.

However the '1 click rule' only applies if there is no space for the significant t&c's to be placed on the page where the ad is, so, for example, if you have a small 250*250 banner on your site and there is no room, then that will be fine to just put what people are doing. However if you have a review page, then there is no excuse not to put the terms on that page, and I am pretty certain T&C apply, 18+ etc will not be acceptable the next time the ASA decide to take a look at it.

But what are these? I make sure I mention wager requirement on deposit match bonuses and free (sorry extra) spins. But do you go as far as mentioning all of the excluded games?
 
But what are these? I make sure I mention wager requirement on deposit match bonuses and free (sorry extra) spins. But do you go as far as mentioning all of the excluded games?

This is my style how I write bonus offer reviews out of caution that somebody won't read the t&c's, have been doing it ever since I started writing, never thought of the UKGC though. :oops:

Minimum deposit to receive the bonuses and Free Spins is €20. All Free Spins are for Starburst and instantly credited after the deposit with no wagering requirements for the winnings from them. Staged wagering for the bonuses, all to be completed within 30 days with a €7.5 maximum bet restriction, subject to the general bonus terms and conditions:

25, 50, 100% – 35x Bonus
200% – 45 x Bonus

Wagering contributions:

100% – Slots and other games with some exceptions and exclusions
75% – All games under the “classic slots” tab
10% – All Live Dealer Roulette and Blackjack
5% – All Live Dealer Baccarat and Casino Hold’em
0% – All table games and video pokers
50% – Blood Suckers, Kings of Chicago and 1429 Uncharted Seas
Restricted games: Scrooge, Devil’s Delight, Champion of the Track, Robin Hood, The Wish Master, Castle Builder and Tower Quest

Bonus restricted countries: Albania, Poland, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Ukraine, India, Indonesia, Russia, Czech Republic, Portugal, Slovakia, Latvia and Thailand.

All Reload or other bonuses regularly offered to existing players have the same rules and wagering requirements as the welcome bonuses. Winnings from Free Spins are always wager free.
 
Had this e-mail from Rizk today...

"Due to recent events and change in rules and regulations in the UK, free spins are no longer allowed to be called free spins. You must now call them extra spins"


A long time ago I saw a .... ehm.... “movie” where a hot waitress was serving a drink to a hot man at a hotel garden. Then the man said “you are very pretty, if I give you some money will you do something extra for me?” . Then she smiled and they did the .... extra :p

So if free is not free enough, the extra was not free at all, since he had to pay extra for the extra. :lolsign:
 
I personally think it is a step to far.

I do not have any problem with the word free spins. No idea why UKGC think they want to force casinos/affiliates and also youtubers to use the word extra spins instead and also I agree that youtubers and affiliates should enforce the 18+ rule and links though.

But I do not agree with the extra spins ruling.
 
I was told today about this also, from the same group. How much longer will the UKGC allow us to advertise in colour? Bright colours may appeal to some users. I see that Casumo has had their Casumo characters banned by the UK ASA as they may appeal to minors. At what point are they going to draw the line? I'm all up for Responsible Gambling, but at what point do the UKGC stop trying to control everything?

Gambling is meant to be fun, a pastime. With the tax on bonuses and tightening up of everything, I just feel the player is going to be one suffering in the long run.

Rob :)

The gambling business has chosen to put this on themself. They have had their cowboy town in Malta for too many years now an
d it is great to see that someone is putting a end to it. Hopefully rest of the world will follow up with licensing and regulating their markets aswell soon.
 
Had this e-mail from Rizk today...

"Due to recent events and change in rules and regulations in the UK, free spins are no longer allowed to be called free spins. You must now call them extra spins"

Can anyone actually confirm that is true? I paid the ASA for a
You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.
(worthwhile for every webmaster for peace of mind) on all of the sites I manage and this term wasn't flagged on any of them.

This UKGC/ASA clampdown is starting to get annoying. Only yesterday one of my friends got his affiliate account closed permanently after not adding "18+" to every YouTube video. With over 300+ active players he was pissed at the one strike rule by the CM accredited casino.

In most cases the 100 free spins on Starburst doesn't tempt me but I suppose many here like a freebie?

Great information Nicola concerning ASA providing audits, although at a grand or thereabouts it certainly isn't cheap - Nearly a years worth of web hosting!
 
Listing excluded countries is pointless, as every casino will geo-locate you and refuse you if not in a permissible jurisdiction. Oh, sorry, forgot about Affpower sites....:mad:

As for pasting significant terms this is flawed, even if you have room because the dodgy bastards will simply 'edit' the less attractive ones out, or change them. The full terms should be safely provided by the provider of the goods and services themselves, NOT an intermediary - this is why it's essential that affiliate programmes do what Casumo have done and get a dedicated terms landing page then there's no room for messing.

Pasting casino terms on an affiliate page will lead to copyright issues, if there's no room and the affiliate has a dedicated info page for each casino (like I have on my /new-uk-casinos/ extension) then it's also possible the casino may not like their name being used in url's although I have had no issues so far as the casinos tend to apply this to actual domain names.

I have simply provided the casino terms approved affy link (only Casumo thus far) and the rest have my composition bonus-terms page link until this can be replaced by the official one the casino provides via their affiliate programme.

I do though list the wagering and maximum amount wherever possible, although again this can change, so another reason for the casinos to provide accurate and up-to-date terms when they've got a terms landing page link in place.

Extra spins is fine, I'm cool with that as like Nikantw said, it ain't 'free' if there are conditions applied, usually a deposit or registration of a deposit method. They're only 'free' when given to existing players and no deposit is required, or are wager-free. :thumbsup:

As for YT and more especially streamers and twitchers, there's a lot of jealous and spiteful people out there, possibly other affiliates (who have self-appointed themselves as the unofficial enforcers of their version of how things should be) that will go out of their way to cause aggro for you and have you taken down or report you to your affiliate programmes, so get a grip and do the necessary - 18+, gambleaware and when available the terms landing page!! Take the lead, get it sorted ASAP and take the preemptive ass-covering action.
 
A long time ago I saw a .... ehm.... “movie” where a hot waitress was serving a drink to a hot man at a hotel garden. Then the man said “you are very pretty, if I give you some money will you do something extra for me?” . Then she smiled and they did the .... extra :p

So if free is not free enough, the extra was not free at all, since he had to pay extra for the extra. :lolsign:

Did she make him a buffet? I don't get it :eek:
 
The gambling business has chosen to put this on themself. They have had their cowboy town in Malta for too many years now an
d it is great to see that someone is putting a end to it. Hopefully rest of the world will follow up with licensing and regulating their markets aswell soon.

It is regulated enough already in my opinion. Sometimes regulation goes to the extreme as any Government is more than capable to demonstrate.

Nanny society in full action. After all, the player is never to be blamed and should not take any responsibility for their action. Where there is blame there is a claim ;)
 
This is my style how I write bonus offer reviews out of caution that somebody won't read the t&c's, have been doing it ever since I started writing, never thought of the UKGC though. :oops:

That is fine if it is a relative short text such as the one you demonstrated.

But what about Videoslots as an example. How do you start to explain their rather complicated wagering requirement fully? That will be a large block of text if you were to copy and paste their bonus rules section.
 
I'm not totally up to date but do follow the UKGC twitter and had understood the rule to mean the following:
Free spins should be exactly that....free. No deposit needed, no wagering involved...

Following false and misleading advertising by BGO and a fine from the UKGC it means, or should mean, no more annoying emails for us the player like 'get 100 free spins now' then in small print "deposit £10 and receive 100 extra spins".

The term 'free' has to mean exactly that no strings attached.


I many be totally wrong tho...
 
It is regulated enough already in my opinion. Sometimes regulation goes to the extreme as any Government is more than capable to demonstrate.

Nanny society in full action. After all, the player is never to be blamed and should not take any responsibility for their action. Where there is blame there is a claim ;)

When casinos make up their own definition of the word "free" its by far not regulated enough. What is the next thing they'll make up their own definition of?

When it comes to potential harmful things such as gambling, drugs and alcohol the government need to be a nanny as it is the tax-payers who end up taking the bill when people lose control in todays welfare-states.
 
When casinos make up their own definition of the word "free" its by far not regulated enough. What is the next thing they'll make up their own definition of?

When it comes to potential harmful things such as gambling, drugs and alcohol the government need to be a nanny as it is the tax-payers who end up taking the bill when people lose control in todays welfare-states.

And that is exactly what I mean..... people not taking responsibility for their actions.

I took up smoking. I know damn well that if I get lung cancer there is only one person to blame - me.

I gamble. If it goes out of control and I lose it all, there is only one person to blame - me.

That is the way I was brought up. Maybe I am just getting too old.
 

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