Summary
- Two Ladbrokes advertisements in the UK came under investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority.
- The advertisements in question promoted Ladbucks, free tokens awarded to the operator's players, providing them with various perks and benefits.
- The Advertising and Standards Authority ruled that the advertisements violated established regulations and stated they must not appear again in their current form.
Two advertisements for a rewards program by Ladbrokes, a leading betting and gaming company, have been closely examined by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the UK's advertising regulator. The ads, which aired on TV and Video on Demand (VOD) last December, promoted Ladbucks, unique tokens that are part of Ladbrokes' reward campaign, offering gamblers free spins, bets, and other benefits. Upon review, the ASA upheld its decision, confirming that the promotional content violated both the BCAP Code and CAP Code.
Ladbrokes responds to the ASA's assessment of two advertisements promoting Ladbucks
The Authority has evaluated two complaints questioning whether the promotional campaign for Ladbucks might strongly attract individuals under 18. The complainants argued that the tokens from the rewards program could significantly appeal to those under 18, potentially violating both the BCAP Code and the CAP Code. As in similar situations, the ASA reached out to LC International Ltd, which operates as Ladbrokes, concerning the advertisements in question. Ladbrokes explained that the Ladbucks tokens were provided for free to users who are 18 or older, once they log into their accounts and verify their identity. Ladbrokes emphasized that these tokens couldn't be bought but were freely awarded, usable only at the Ladbucks arcade and the Ladbucks Store, expiring after a certain period if unused. When explaining the name of the rewards tokens, the operator noted that Ladbucks is a play on the word Ladbrokes, using bucks to indicate that they hold value on the Ladbrokes website. They clarified that bucks, as a synonym for dollars, does not originate from youth culture and does not inherently appeal to those under 18. Ladbrokes also pointed out the significant differences between these tokens and popular in-game currencies used by games like Fortnite and Roblox, noting that the only similarity is the use of the word bucks.
ASA finds the ads are likely to strongly appeal to under-18s, thus in violation of the established rules
Despite Ladbrokes' attempt to provide an explanation, the ASA maintained its decision. The Authority highlighted popular children's games like Fortnite and Roblox, which use in-game currencies such as V-bucks and Robux. In its evaluation, the ASA focused on the similarities between the names of these in-game currencies and Ladbrokes' rewards program tokens, as well as how the tokens were portrayed. Given these similarities and the common usage of digital currencies, the Authority confirmed that the ads promoting Ladbucks were presented in a way that resembled features found in video games popular with children. The ASA further elaborated: We therefore determined that the term used in the ads was likely to strongly appeal to under-18s and violated the Code. Consequently, the Authority stated that Ladbrokes' advertisements, in their current form, must not be displayed again as they violate BCAP Code 17.4.5 and CAP Code 16.1 and 16.3.12.
