Ladbrokes’ reprimand from the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has highlighted the need for operators to “sense check” their future promotions, according to Felix Faulkner, Solicitor at licensing law firm Poppleston Allen.
The ASA upheld two complaints against the Entain brand for its advert featuring ‘Ladbucks’, the operator’s free-to-play games currency, deeming them to be of possible strong appeal to those under the age of 18 and in breach of BCAP and CAP codes.
The agency believed that the Ladbucks name and appearance could appeal to under-18s due to their similarities to the in-game currencies ‘V-bucks’ and ‘Robux’, used in Fortnite and Roblox, respectively.
“We concluded the name Ladbucks, when considered alongside the imagery and the application of the coin in the ads, was depicted in a manner which was similar to features in video games popular with children,” stated the ASA in its ruling.
In addition, the agency also took issue with the term ‘lad’, which can be associated as a colloquial term for younger men, including teenage-aged youths.
Faulkner explained: “While it is understandable that a brand called Ladbrokes might produce an in-play betting reward token with the term ‘lad’ in it, it is of utmost importance for all licence holders to sense-check a number of things before running a promotion.
“[This includes] the terminology and naming of products and rewards offers, both the historic and current colloquial use of any term they’re considering employing and any subsequent advertising based around that.”
Faulkner also highlighted that the threshold for gambling advertisements under the ASA CAP Code is “likely to strongly appeal to children or young persons…”, meaning in this case, the ASA believed Ladbucks’ close association with the in-game currencies of Fortnite and Roblox pushed these ads over the threshold.
“Responsible gambling is a fundamental tenet of the Gambling Act, and the remit falls solely in the laps of operators and licence holders to ensure that their marketing and advertisements always adhere to the [Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice] and the ASA regulations. It is always better to be safe than sorry,” Faulkner concluded.
