ASA upholds ruling against Gecko Play social media ad

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against Skill On Net, trading as Gecko Play, over a paid-for Instagram advertisement that was found to breach gambling advertising rules.

The ad, seen on 1 February 2026, featured a stand-up comedian delivering a routine comparing gambling to eating pistachios. 

The comedian stated: “Gambling is really like eating pistachios, if you get a good pistachio, you want another good one, if you get a bad one, you want a good one even more.”

The ASA received two complaints questioning whether the advert encouraged socially irresponsible gambling behaviour. The regulator assessed the content under the CAP Code, which prohibits ads that condone or encourage behaviour that could lead to financial, social or emotional harm.

In its ruling, the ASA concluded that the analogy would likely be interpreted as portraying gambling as compulsive and difficult to stop. It also found that the reference to seeking a “good one even more” after a loss could be understood as encouraging further betting in an attempt to recover losses. 

The ASA further noted that the use of a comedic setting, including audience laughter, presented the message in a light-hearted way. This, it said, reduced the perceived seriousness of gambling decisions and contributed to the impression that repeated participation, including after losses, was acceptable. 

Although the ad included an 18+ warning, GambleAware branding and the message “Gambling can be addictive please play responsibly”, the ASA determined that these elements did not sufficiently counterbalance the overall impression created by the content.

Skill On Net said the intent of the advert was to provide observational humour on the unpredictability of outcomes and not to promote persistent gambling. It accepted, however, that the ad could be interpreted differently and removed it following the complaint. The operator also confirmed that it had updated its internal marketing guidance.

The ASA ruled that the ad must not appear again in its current form and instructed the operator to ensure future marketing does not trivialise gambling or encourage repetitive behaviour.

The ruling follows previous ASA enforcement in the sector, including a decision involving Betway, where an advert referencing Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton was found to breach the CAP Code due to its appeal to under-18s. The regulator concluded the content was irresponsible and prohibited it from appearing again in its existing format.