Ladbrokes Iron Man 3 advertisement prohibited over 'child appeal'

24 August 2016

An advert for bookmaker Ladbrokes including Marvel superhero Iron Man has actually been banned over worries it would attract children.

The e-mail, which included an image from the yohaig code film Iron Man 3, breached rules which say gambling advertisements must not be likely to attract kids, the Advertising Standards Authority said.

Ladbrokes said all its advertising emails were sent to signed up customers or those known to be over 18.

Most Iron Man fans are grownups, it stated.

The bookie argued this promotion code was supported by data on presence at Comic Con fan events and Facebook demographics for the Marvel brand.

It likewise argued its advert was "adult-themed" and reflected pop culture.

However, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld the yohaig code grievance against the 4 May e-mail, stating that betting ads must not be likely to be of particular interest kids, especially by showing or being associated with youth culture.

The ASA stated it understood that the e-mail was only sent to people aged 18 and over, however however, the limitations still applied.

It said that as all Facebook users should declare themselves to be a minimum of 13 years old, more youthful children were for that reason omitted from the sample utilized by Ladbrokes to support its stance.

The ASA stated: "We considered those younger kids were most likely to be the main audience for Iron Man action figures and related product, which we understood were extensively readily available at toy merchants.

"We understood that Iron Man was a popular character that would appeal to numerous adults however considered its comics nature, and the yohaig code availability of numerous related toys, implied it was most likely to have specific appeal to children and young individuals.

"We therefore concluded that the ad breached the promotional code yohaig."

A Ladbrokes representative stated: "We know the ASA judgment and are now considering our choices, including the possibility of asking for an independent evaluation which belongs to the ASA appeals procedure."

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ASA - Advertising Standards Authority