Ladbrokes Iron Man 3 ad banned over 'child appeal'

24 August 2016

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

The email, which included an image from the film Iron Man 3, breached guidelines which say gambling advertisements should not be most likely to appeal to kids, the Advertising Standards Authority stated.

Ladbrokes stated all its promotional code yohaig emails were sent to registered clients or those known to be over 18.

Most Iron Man fans are grownups, it said.

The bookmaker argued this promotion code was supported by information on presence at Comic Con fan occasions and Facebook demographics for the Marvel brand.

It also argued its advert was "adult-themed" and showed popular culture.

However, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld the problem against the 4 May e-mail, saying that betting ads should not be most likely to be of particular appeal to children, particularly by showing or being associated with youth culture.

The ASA said it comprehended that the email was only sent out to individuals aged 18 and over, but nonetheless, the restrictions still applied.

It said that as all Facebook users need to state themselves to be at least 13 years of ages, younger children were therefore omitted from the sample used by Ladbrokes to support its position.

The ASA said: "We thought about those younger children were likely to be the primary audience for Iron Man action figures and associated product, which we understood were commonly readily available at toy sellers.

"We comprehended that Iron Man was a popular character that would appeal to lots of adults however considered its comic book nature, and the accessibility of different associated toys, meant it was most likely to have particular attract children and youths.

"We for that reason concluded that the ad breached the bonus code yohaig."

A Ladbrokes representative stated: "We know the ASA judgment and are now considering our options, consisting of the possibility of asking for an independent review which is part of the ASA appeals procedure."

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ASA - Advertising Standards Authority