Betfred avoids ASA ban for online bingo ad
The UK operator’s bingo-focused TV short gains support from the ASA and Clearcast despite single complaint
Betfred has been cleared by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for a bingo TV ad that received a single complaint for “normalising gambling”.
The TV advert, broadcast on 20 January, showed a woman in the bath, a man preparing a meal and another woman exercising, all while playing online bingo on their mobile phones.
The complainant believed that displaying the characters gambling while carrying out everyday activities normalised gambling and challenged whether the ad was irresponsible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y01OMRNGG7g
Betfred said the ad did not suggest that people should play bingo excessively or that it should take priority over any other social interaction.
The operator claimed the ad “promoted the community aspect of their bingo” by showing chat names for each character and social interaction within the chatroom– and Clearcast agreed.
The ASA refused to uphold the complaint and ruled that no further action was necessary because the ad characters were playing bingo in conjunction with doing tasks, rather than instead of them.
The regulator also concluded the ad did not “portray, condone or encourage socially irresponsible gambling behaviour”, or “portray gambling as indispensable or as taking priority in life”.