The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against a paid Facebook advertisement for online gambling brand Mr Vegas, concluding that parts of the campaign were likely to strongly appeal to people under the age of 18 despite age-targeting measures.
The advertisement, operated by Videoslots Ltd under the Mr Vegas brand, appeared on Facebook on 5 February 2026. It promoted online casino games beneath the headline “MR VEGAS CASINO SLOTS SPORTS” and included the message “New games every. single. week”. The ad also displayed “Play Responsibly” messaging together with 18+, BeGambleAware.org and GAMSTOP logos.
Two Game Images Failed the CAP Code Test
The regulator reviewed four featured slot game tiles individually before deciding that two of them breached the CAP Code’s rules covering gambling advertising.
The Pink Elephants 2 graphic showed a large pink cartoon elephant on a lilac background. While Mr Vegas argued the artwork was surreal rather than child-focused, the ASA found the character resembled imagery commonly associated with children’s cartoons and storybooks. It also noted similarities to artwork and typography linked to the Ice Age franchise, increasing the likelihood of strong appeal to under-18s.
The Razor Returns tile featured a robotic shark biting the game’s title against a brightly coloured ocean backdrop. Although the ASA accepted that the shark was not presented as “cute”, it concluded that the exaggerated robotic character still matched the type of animated content identified in CAP guidance as unsuitable for gambling advertising because of its likely appeal to younger audiences.
The remaining two images did not attract the same criticism. The ASA decided Sweet Bonanza‘s colourful lettering did not prominently feature characters or imagery likely to strongly attract children. It also found that the animated fisherman shown in Big Bass Bonanza appeared relatively life-like, while fishing itself was considered less likely to hold strong appeal for under-18s.
Age Restrictions Did Not Resolve the Regulator’s Concerns
Mr Vegas defended the campaign by explaining that the advertisement was restricted to Facebook users aged 18 and over through Meta Ads Manager. The company said it also relied on verified adult customer data when building custom and lookalike audiences and applied placement restrictions across its paid social advertising.
The ASA acknowledged those safeguards but determined they did not remove the likelihood of children seeing the advertisement. It referred to Ofcom research showing that 56% of parents of 16- to 17-year-olds reported their child used Facebook. The regulator also cited separate 2025 research estimating that 20% of social media users aged eight to 17 with their own profiles had registered as adults online.
Based on that evidence, the ASA concluded that a significant number of under-18s could still have accessed the advertisement despite Meta’s age-gating measures.
The regulator ruled that the campaign breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 16.3.12 covering gambling advertising. It instructed Videoslots Ltd, trading as Mr Vegas, that the advertisement must not appear again in its current form and directed the company not to feature content likely to be of strong appeal to those under 18 in future promotions.
Source:
“ASA Ruling on Videoslots Ltd t/a Mr Vegas”, asa.org.uk, Jul 1, 2026
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