Marketing Compliance Guidelines

Digital Rush Partners (DRP) has established these guidelines to clarify the marketing regulatory requirements for the UK & IE markets where our brands can be promoted. In line with updates and notifications from the UKGC (Gambling Commission United Kingdom), these guidelines will be periodically reviewed and revised.

 

Should you have any uncertainties about your commitments & obligations under the Digital Rush Partners' T&Cs or under UKGC legal requirements, please feel free to contact your account manager or write to us at affiliates@digitalrushpartners.com

 

We depend on our affiliates to exercise appropriate control over their marketing communications. While we acknowledge your essential role in our business, it must be balanced with the rigorous regulation applied to operators. We aim to foster a sustainable and compliant business partnership with you. However, this relies on your ongoing commitment to ensure that all communications align with legal requirements. Without this compliance, our ability to maintain you as an affiliate may be compromised.

 

"Communication(s)" refers to any marketing, promotional, advertising, or similar material used to encourage consumers to sign up to one or more of our associated gambling websites in partnership with you.

 

 

 

Marketing Channels & Sources of Traffic:

As a Digital Rush Partners affiliate, it's essential to disclose all marketing channels and traffic sources to ensure compliance. All channels and sources must be confirmed and agreed upon with your account manager prior to launching any promotional campaign.

 

An Insertion Order must be signed by the affiliate, indicating the brands being promoted, the type of traffic, the URL from where DRP brands are being promoted, the campaign start date, and the commission deal agreed between the affiliate and the DRP account manager.

 

 

 

Excluded Marketing Channels:

 

Certain promotional communication methods are categorically not accepted by the Digital Rush Partners Affiliate Program, as listed below. Affiliates found using these methods will have their accounts immediately terminated.

 

 

• Email Marketing

 

• SMS Marketing, including WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat, etc.

 

• Direct Mail (Snail Marketing)

 

• Streaming via platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, etc.

 

• Adult Networks

 

• Piracy Websites, Torrent download pages

 

• Pop-Under advertising

 

• Media Buying (unless a precise domain list can be provided detailing where the brand appears, and you are using our provided creative material. Programmatic buying through an ad-exchange is strictly prohibited under our Affiliate Program).

 

 

At any time, you may be required to provide a complete list of URLs where you display and promote our Communications. Failure to do so may result in the termination of our agreement.

 

 

 

Age Restrictions:

 

Advertising to minors is absolutely forbidden. If detected, your account will face immediate termination. Affiliates must not target or indirectly appeal to individuals under 18 with gambling-related content. This includes not using messaging or imagery, such as games named after popular children’s fairy tales, books, TV series, or movies, that could potentially appeal to minors. Minors must never be featured in advertising.

 

Every promotional material must display both the "18+" and "begambleaware" logos. These must be included in:

 

 

• Website footers

 

• Social media cover images

 

• All social media posts, cover photos, and "about" sections

 

• Affiliate ads and banners of all sizes and types.

 

 

Affiliates must understand the likely audience of their campaigns and exclude underage groups where possible.

 

 

 

Outdated Offers:

 

Promotion of outdated offers is viewed as misleading advertising by the ASA. Affiliates must promptly update all offers once communicated by the DRP Affiliate Team. Non-compliance will lead to account closure. Updating an offer includes:

 

 

• The offer itself

 

• Significant terms

 

• Any brand review pages

 

• Call to Actions (CTAs)

 

 

Under UKGC guidelines, ads must not create an inappropriate sense of urgency, such as phrases like “Bet Now!”, “Join Now”, “Sign Up Now”! Such language should be replaced with phrases like “Bet Here”, “Join Here”, or “Sign Up Here”.

 

 

 

Impulsiveness and Urgency – Understanding the Limits:

 

When marketing an opportunity with a looming deadline or relating to live odds or specific in-play betting markets, you must avoid using the following CTAs:

 

 

• Bet Now

 

• Claim Now

 

• Play Now

 

• Join Now

 

 

Also, refrain from using urgency-inducing language in our marketing materials, such as:

 

 

• Hurry!

 

• Time is running out!

 

• You are at risk of losing/missing out/etc.

 

• The clock is ticking

 

• Images of countdown timers

 

• Act Now!

 

• Overlay pushy imagery (like flashing LED TV arrows)

 

• Be Quick

 

 

On the contrary, you can use the following acceptable terms, phrases, and CTAs (though this list is not exhaustive):

 

 

• Available Now

 

• Bet Here

 

• Claim Here

 

• Join Here

 

• Jump In (consider the surrounding text)

 

• Join In

 

• Click to Pay

 

• Click to Bet

 

• Get Involved

 

• Play Here

 

• Sign Up

 

• More Info

 

• Have a Go

 

• Place Your Bets

 

• Odds (make CTA clickable odds)

 

• Go to Game/Market

 

 

 

 

Website Footer:

 

Every website footer must unconditionally include the following elements:

 

 

• "18+" Logo

 

• Hyperlink to the Gambling Commission

 

• Hyperlink to Responsible Gambling

 

• "When the Fun Stops, Stop" logo, hyperlinked to its respective website

 

• "begambleaware.org" logo, hyperlinked to its respective website

 

• "Gambstop" logo, hyperlinked to self-exclusion

 

• "GamCare" logo, hyperlinked to its website

 

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No Homemade Creatives:

 

Any creative assets used to promote DRP Brands must be exclusively sourced from the DRP Affiliate Marketing Tools section in the affiliate tracking platform. We urge you to utilize the extensive range of banners we provide. Homemade creative assets promoting DRP Brands may result in account termination and removal from the Affiliate program. This is to ensure that all Communications remain legally compliant.

 

 

 

Domain Names/URLs:

 

Affiliates are prohibited from registering domain names that include any of the DRP brand names. Affiliates violating this rule may have their account suspended pending an investigation.

 

 

 

PPC Affiliates:

 

While we do engage and collaborate with affiliates in the PPC domain, certain practices are strictly prohibited as part of the Affiliate program:

 

 

• Affiliates must not bid on DRP brand terms.

 

• Affiliates must not use brand names in display URL’s.

 

• Affiliates must not manipulate DRP brand names in ads.

 

• Affiliates must also avoid bidding on any problematic, harmful, or 'Responsible Gambling' related keywords, including Gamble Awareness or Self-Exclusion trade bodies.

 

• Here you can find the Negative Keywords List to add to your PPC campaigns.

 

 

 

 

Misleading Offers:

 

Avoid using the terms such as: "Risk-free", "No risk", "Safe bet", or "No lose". An offer is not considered risk-free if it:

 

 

• Requires customers to deposit and bet with their own money.

 

• Provides the "risk-free bet" as a refund only available to qualifying customers.

 

• Offers the "risk-free bet" as a refund where the customer has to stake additional money to secure a refund.

 

• Refunds deposits only as bonus funds that cannot be withdrawn as cash.

 

• Requires bonus amounts to be wagered a certain number of times.

 

 

 

 

App Affiliates:

 

Affiliates who are launching apps in the app store must ensure that the app name does not contain any Digital Rush Partners' brand names. If an affiliate is found to have launched an app that includes any of our brand names, they will be asked to remove the app immediately, which may result in the termination of their account.

 

 

 

Push Messaging:

 

Considering the character limit in push messages, it can be challenging to include all significant conditions. If you're promoting a sign-up offer, we recommend keeping the message generic, mentioning that sign-up offers are available, and directing customers to where they can find more information. The landing page for the promotional offer should be accessible within one click from the push message.

 

 

 

Compliant Example:

 

"Explore New Customer Offers at Bingo Loft – Click Here for Full Details. T&Cs Apply"

 

 

 

Non-compliant Example:

 

"Bingo Loft New Customer Offer: Deposit £10, Receive £50 in Bonus Bets"

 

The latter is non-compliant as it describes the offer but doesn't provide all the significant conditions of the offer or mention that other T&Cs apply. Neglecting to state significant terms in an advert can be viewed as misleading.

 

 

 

Key Conditions:

 

What do 'Key Conditions' mean? Key Conditions are conditions that could impact a consumer's comprehension of a promotion and influence their decision to participate.

 

If an advert includes a promotion (for instance, a free bet or bonus), the Key Conditions of the promotion must be clearly visible in the ad – appearing above the fold, in a readable colour and font size.

 

Key Conditions should always be clearly displayed alongside an advertised offer.

 

Other T&Cs of the offer should be 'one click' away at most from the ad.

 

If Key Conditions aren't displayed with sufficient prominence, the ad may be considered misleading.

 

 

 

Exceptions:

 

In social media posts or other platforms with limited space, you may place a "T&Cs apply" link within one click's reach of where the Key Conditions of the ad are clearly stated (e.g., "T&Cs apply: insert URL").

 

In marketing communications that include a promotion and are significantly constrained by time or space, you can replace Key Conditions with "T&Cs apply", including as much information about Key Conditions as feasible.

 

Please note that the ASA is unlikely to regard advertisers' own websites as space-limited, so ensure Key Conditions are on the ad itself on the same page of the website.

 

Therefore, any offer on your website should include Key Conditions (including online messages, banners, mobile ads, etc.).

 

Please be aware: Since October 2019, mobile ticker solutions for Key Conditions no longer apply. Any offers with Key Conditions in tickers will not be considered compliant.

 

 

 

Promoting Social Responsibility in Advertising

 

The promotion of gambling services and products must be carried out responsibly, adhering to the UK Advertising Codes, issued by the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) and overseen by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

 

Our affiliates commit to promote our brands responsibly, in alignment with industry regulations, codes of practice and guidelines, ensuring clarity, transparency and accuracy in advertising our brands, games, and promotions. This includes, but is not limited to:

 

 

• No encouragement of anti-social behaviour (including linking gambling with alcohol use).

 

• No depiction of gambling as a solution to social, personal, educational, or professional challenges.

 

• No portrayal of gambling as an employment substitute, a financial solution or a form of financial investment (e.g., “A life-changing win!”).

 

• No representation of gambling as socially attractive.

 

• No linking of gambling with toughness, resilience, or recklessness.

 

• No depiction of gambling as essential or a priority over family, friends, or educational or professional commitments.

 

• No promotion of peer pressure to gamble or criticism of abstention from gambling (e.g., “Play Now!” “What are you waiting for?” “Hurry Up!” and similar messages).

 

• No suggestion that skill can influence a game of pure chance.

 

• No exploitation of cultural beliefs or traditions related to gambling or luck.

 

• No promotion of solitary gambling over social gaming (e.g., “Bored at home? Play with us!”).

 

 

 

 

Social Media Usage

 

If you decide to utilize Social Media for your communications, you need to adhere to the following requirements:

 

 

• Display the 'Over 18' logo clearly in all your communications and on your profile page itself.

 

• For UK based affiliates, include BeGambleAware-related language on your social media accounts, such as "Gamble responsibly. www.begambleaware.org". For affiliates from other countries, please refer to "Please gamble responsibly".

 

• Provide a link for further gambling advice and guidance, such as "More information on responsible gambling can be found at www.begambleaware.org".

 

• Ensure and provide evidence that your communications are targeted and displayed to individuals over the age of 18. For instance, with Twitter, use their age-screening function for marketing communications to consumers. Similar functions are available on other social media platforms.

 

• Exercise caution when selecting images and language for non-promotional material submitted via your social media account. For instance, a Facebook post not intended as an ad but related to gambling.

 

• Ensure that you understand and comply with the policies of the respective social media company. For instance, Facebook requires pre-approval for real-money gambling-related ads.

 

 

Moreover, prior to using social media, you need to inform us in writing about which platforms you're using, and provide links to your profiles. This applies to any platforms you decide to use in the future as well. Failing to disclose these details now or when they change, will lead to immediate termination of your agreement. We require this information to continuously review and monitor your communications via social media.

 

 

 

Advertising Disclosures

 

You must add an advertising disclosure to comparison tables. See the example below for guidance.

 

 

 

Player Reviews

 

If your website permits users to review products or services, ensure all genuine, relevant, and lawful reviews are published. Your process for collecting, moderating and publishing reviews should not obstruct this.

 

 

 

Compliance and UKGC Updates

 

As an affiliate with DRP, it is expected that you stay updated on all changes and developments concerning affiliate compliance. Regulatory standards and guidelines are subject to constant updates and changes, and it is crucial that you remain informed about these changes.

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Additional Information for Affiliates:

 

Affiliates must adhere to the agreement at all times, a copy of which can be accessed here:

 

 

• https://www.digitalrushpartners.com/terms-and-conditions/

 

 

In accordance with these terms, affiliates must be aware of and comply with the EGBA standards, available here:

 

 

• https://www.egba.eu/

 

 

Relevant documents regarding the UK Code of Non-Broadcast Advertising, and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code), can be found here:

 

 

• https://www.asa.org.uk/codes-and-rulings/advertising-codes/non-broadcast-code.html

 

• https://www.asa.org.uk/advice-and-resources/bespoke-copy-advice.html

 

• https://www.asa.org.uk/asset/4D2D396B-2E06-43FF-B54904ABF3078AE4/

 

• https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/16.html

 

 

The Gambling Commission’s advertising/marketing rules and regulations can be accessed here:

 

 

• https://gamblingcompliance.com/sectors/affiliates

 

• https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/for-gamblingbusinesses/Compliance/General-compliance/Social-responsibility/Advertising-marketing-rules-and-regulations.aspx

 

 

 

 

These links are provided purely for informational purposes and are not meant to be exhaustive. It is the responsibility of the affiliate to ensure compliance with all advertising guidelines and laws regarding the promotion of online gaming in the relevant jurisdiction. Any violations could lead to the suspension or possible termination of your affiliate account with the Programme.