ASA Upholds a Social Responsibility Complaint Against a Ladbrokes Ad

UK’s advertising ombudsman, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), has banned a television advertisement from Ladbrokes because it depicted ‘socially irresponsible gamboling behavior.’ However, Ladbrokes defended its position on the said advertisement, saying that it portrayed the tension that everyday sports bettors experience in the course of their betting activities.

What Was Ladbrokes’ Banned Advertisement All About?

The now controversial advertisement was aired on April 10th, 2021, and it demonstrated three scenes of sports fans placing wagers via the Ladbrokes sportsbook mobile application.

It began with a man looking up at the ongoing match and back at his mobile device to place wagers on the Ladbrokes app. A voiceover accompanied the first scene saying: “I’m a nodder: up to the football, down to the app like a dog on a dashboard.” A second scene came up from there, and it showed a man who the advertising watchdog described as ‘visibly frustrated.’ The man was performing kicking gestures at a train station while using the Ladbrokes app, and he caught the eye of another passenger waiting for the train. A voiceover then followed to say: “When I bet I’m a frustrated manager. I kick every ball.”

For the third and final scene, the Ladbrokes ad showed three ecstatic men roaring in celebration as if a goal had been scored. These men were watching a football game where a VAR confirmed the legitimacy of the goal hence their reaction. However, the ASA described the men to appear ‘extremely tense and nervous.’ In the same shot, the voiceover said: “If I’ve got an Acca [accumulator] coming in, I find myself getting very excited.”

The advertisement finally ended with an image of the iconic Ladbrokes logo, and a voiceover said: “However you like to play, we’ve got your bet. Boost your Acca odds at Ladbrokes.com.”

The Grievance After Ladbrokes Ad Was Aired

The complaint that referred the ad to the ASA alleged that the advertisement showed individuals who suffered from gambling addiction. According to the complaint’s author, the ad had effectively portrayed gambling in a socially irresponsible light.

Ladbrokes, on its part, responded promptly to the complaint citing that they had received the green light from Clearcast, the advertising standards agency. After being signed off by Clearcast, Ladbrokes also indicated that it had sought advice from the Copy Advice Standard of the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) about the ad in question.

According to the CAP advertising standards, gambling advertisements are not supposed to portray or condone any form of socially irresponsible conduct or behavior that could lead to emotional, social, or financial harm.

Ladbrokes said that each scene of the ad depicted different feelings that fans have when watching a football game. Moreover, Ladbrokes argued that none of the scenes were suggestive of any kind of problem gambling behavior based on the current guidelines. Clearcast also came to Ladbrokes’ defense with similar opinions.

The Entain-owned sportsbook company further added that the advertisement hadn’t, for instance, recommended solitary gambling as a better choice compared to social gambling or suggested that gambling could be a solution for financial problems.  

ASA’s Verdict on the Three Scenes

After analyzing the advertisement, the ASA first agreed that it portrayed emotions that fans usually have around football, but there was more to it than the football match.

For the first scene, ASA argued that the man was acting socially irresponsible as he appeared to be detached and engrossed with gambling instead of the ongoing football match itself. In the second scene, the advertising ombudsman disputed that the man’s aggressive behavior wasn’t about the game’s outcome but appeared to a response to losing a bet. The ASA added:

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“We also acknowledged Clearcast’s view that the ad depicted men going about their business and aware of their surroundings. However, the second scene depicted a man on a station platform miming kicking a ball in frustration, unaware of his proximity to another passenger who was shown reacting to his behaviour.”

Lastly, in the third scene, the ASA claimed that the men weren’t excited about the game but rather their jubilation was a reaction to an accumulator win. The ad watchdog further said that:

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“We considered that mood swings related to gambling was a problem gambling behaviour. Because the ad appeared to depict a major mood swing and directly related it to the tension of potentially winning an accumulator, rather than just watching sports, we considered that the ad depicted problem gambling behaviour.

As such, the advertising ombudsman deemed that the Ladbrokes ad had violated the BCAP gambling codes 17.3 and 17.3.1, and therefore, it was not socially responsible.

After upholding the social responsibility complaint, ASA cautioned Ladbrokes to be more mindful with their advertisements in future when demonstrating situations around betting on sports betting. The Entain-owned sportsbook company was also discouraged from portraying detachment, mood swings, or other emotions or feelings that might suggest problem gambling behavior. Part of the ASA statement further read:

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“Marketers should take care to avoid an implication of such behaviours, for instance, with outwardly light-hearted or humorous approaches that could be regarded as portrayals of those behaviours… Behaviours associated with people displaying or at risk from problem gambling included detachment from surroundings, preoccupation with gambling and mood swings (including highs and lows, irritability and shortness of temper.”