The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against Optival after a paid search ad for its betting comparison website appeared following a search for ‘self exclusion bookies’.
In a ruling published on 28 October, the watchdog found that the ad was irresponsibly targeted because the query indicated a consumer might be seeking help to limit exposure to gambling.
The ad, seen on 10 August, promoted a list of UK betting sites and encouraged users to compare bookmakers. It also advertised a first-bet bonus and welcome offers. The complaint concerned where the promotion appeared, rather than a claim about the offers themselves.
Optival, trading as bestbookiesandbettingsites.co.uk, told the ASA it had never deliberately targeted the self-exclusion phrase. The company said a review of its Google Ads reports found no matching search term across its campaigns. It maintained negative keyword lists intended to block queries related to self-exclusion, GamStop and problem gambling.
Optival suggested that automated query matching might have caused an isolated appearance below the platform's reporting threshold. The company said it would expand its exclusions so current and future campaigns would be prevented from appearing against similar searches.
The ASA said people using that search phrase were likely to include vulnerable consumers looking to reduce their engagement with gambling. In that setting, an ad promoting betting sites and bonuses was inappropriate.
The regulator said gambling-related marketers needed particularly robust safeguards against inappropriate targeting.
Although Optival operates an affiliate comparison site rather than a gambling service, its ad still promoted bookmakers, the ASA said. It welcomed the company's proposed changes but found that adequate controls should have been in place when the ad was served.
The watchdog concluded that the ad breached rule 1.3 of the CAP Code on social responsibility. Optival must ensure the ad does not appear following the same search again and that its future search advertising is responsibly targeted. The ruling recorded one complaint and did not specify a financial penalty.
The decision adds to the ASA's scrutiny of affiliate marketing. In September, a separate affiliate-produced Midnite ad was banned after an AI-generated character was judged to appear under 25.
The ASA classified the Optival promotion as a paid search ad and recorded one complaint
