Coral ad banned for seduction link
ASA rules operator was promoting its sports betting app by linking gambling and seduction in advert
Coral Interactive has been forced to withdraw a TV advert by the Advertising Standards Association (ASA) after the watchdog found it guilty of linking “gambling to seduction”.
The 30-second ad featured an “attractive” female character dressed in a jockey outfit who enters a barber’s shop as two men prepared to place a bet via the Coral app on their mobile phones.
The character attracts the attention of the shop’s staff and customers, closes a man’s gaping jaw with her whip, holds a sign displaying the latest odds and touched a customer’s phone with her whip before leaving the premises.
Following a single complaint the ASA concluded that the character’s introduction and attractiveness created a link between gambling and seduction throughout the advert, which may not be broadcast again in its current form.
“Because she represented the Coral Interactive brand and was shown playing a seductive role in the scenario depicted, we concluded that the ad linked gambling to seduction and was therefore in breach of the Code,” the watchdog said in a statement.
The Gibraltar-licensed operator and ad approval company Clearcast both contested the complaint, claiming the two men were already contemplating placing a bet before the female jockey was introduced.
The news follows the launch of a new in-depth review into the gambling sector by the UK’s advertising authorities following a surge in complaints received by the ASA.
Recent complaints of high-profile gambling adverts include Ladbrokes‘ new ‘Ladbrokes Life’ marketing campaign and Paddy Power adverts relating to betting on the murder trial of Paralympian Oscar Pistorius.