The UK’s advertising watchdog is keeping a tight leash on online gambling operators’ use of ‘kid-friendly’ game imagery.

On Tuesday, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority upheld complaints against two online gambling operators whose games featured animated images of animals, fairies, dragons and Santa Claus that the Campaign for Fairer Gambling (CFG) claimed were “likely to be of particular appeal to children.”

Three of the offending game titles appeared in free-play ‘demo mode’ on Progress Play Ltd’s M88.com. Following the CFG complaint, M88 modified the games to remove the offending imagery and ensured that the games could only be played after customers logged in to their accounts.

The ASA welcomed M88’s moves while the investigation was ongoing, but ultimately concluded that the games – two of which were based on the Red Riding Hood and Hansel & Gretel fairy tales – were likely to be popular with children. The ASA also warned M88 to stop promoting the games on unrestricted portions of the website.