ASA Urged To Be More Lenient With Gambling Operators

Ban on Ladbrokes advert was over-cautious, says expert

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) should be less cautious in its treatment of adverts for gambling services, it has been claimed.

Brian Wright, business director at the Remote Gambling Association, said that ASA has been "particularly hard" on gaming firms in recent months, despite the challenges faced by the industry.

He cited the example of a recent promotional campaign from Ladbrokes, which received just one complaint from the public but was nevertheless banned by ASA for being "reckless".

"I think they are being quite stringent at the moment," Mr Wright commented, although he did admit that there may have been mitigating circumstances.

"Only since September 2007 have they had to address gambling adverts for the first time, so it's quite new to them," he said.

Ladbrokes has described ASA's approach to its adverts as "an example of political correctness going too far" and is planning to appeal against the ban.