July 12, 2023 3 min read

likes:

Ladbrokes Once Again under Fire by ASA over Promoted Tweets

The new probe comes after only recently, the ASA deemed a Twitter post from Ladbrokes that featured the boxer and YouTube star, Jake Paul, "irresponsible"

Two promotional messages from Ladbrokes’ Twitter seen between January and February this year caught the attention of the regulator in charge of advertising in the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). One of the messages included two images of Eddie Howe, the famous Premier League manager along with a large “V” between them and the text “19TH IN 2022 V 3RD IN 2023. EDDIE HOWE’S ONE-YEAR MASTERCLASS.”

On the other hand, the second message contained a headline with the text “Ladbrokes NEXT MANAGER TO LEAVE ODDS.” Underneath the text, there were images of David Moyes, Frank Lampard, Brendan Rodgers and Gary O’Neil, four Premier League managers. Each of the aforementioned managers had an odds list attached to their name.

In light of the promotional messages, the ASA probed whether or not Ladbrokes breached the regulations that currently restrict gambling marketing content from appealing to anyone under the legal gambling age, which is 18 years old. The advertising regulator reiterated that the CAP Code, which is effective from October 1, 2022, restricts gambling products from being likely to appeal to audiences under the legal age or be associated with the interests of the younger generations. Additionally, under the CAP Code, gambling marketing materials cannot include persons or characters that are likely to appeal or have strong appeal to audiences under the age of 18.

In light of the text and images of the recent messages, the ASA said that “managers of Premier League football teams were considered high risk within the CAP guidance “Gambling and lotteries: Protecting under-18s” in terms of how likely they were to be of strong appeal to under-18s.”

Premier League Managers May Appeal to Children

The advertisement watchdog explained that this is because football has a continuously growing audience that includes individuals under the legal gambling age. In that line of thought, the ASA said that Premier League managers are likely to appeal strongly to children.

Addressing the ASA’s concern, Ladbrokes explained that the first Twitter message “was intended to be editorial content to celebrate Eddie Howe’s recent period of success as the manager of Newcastle United.” The betting company also pointed to the restrictions of Twitter that limit underage individuals from accessing the platform and at the same time said that its social media channel targeted only audiences above the age of 25. Furthermore, Ladbrokes cited data explaining that from the 22,182 impressions, there were 0% of audiences under 25 years of age.

However, when it comes to the second message shared via Twitter, the betting company confirmed that it “was commercial in nature as it contained market prices for the next Premier League manager to lose his job.” This, the company said, was against its guidance and established standards for commercial content. Still, Ladbrokes assured that such content will be reviewed in the future and ensure that its upcoming ads are in line with the established rules for advertising.

Despite the position of the betting company, the ASA concluded that the ads “were irresponsible and breached the Code.” Describing the breach, the Authority said that the messages breached CAP Code 16.1, 16.3 and 16.3.12. Consequently, the ASA said that the ads must not appear in their current form and Ladbrokes must refrain from marketing materials that include persons or characters that may have strong appeal to those under 18 years of age.

Journalist

Jerome brings a wealth of journalistic experience within the iGaming sector. His interest in the industry began after graduating from college, where he regularly participated in local poker tournaments. This exposure led him to the growing popularity of online poker and casino rooms. Jerome now channels all the knowledge he's accrued to fuel his passion for journalism, providing our team with the latest scoops online.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *