Ladbrokes Iron Man 3 advertisement prohibited over 'kid appeal'

24 August 2016

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

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

Ladbrokes said all its promotional code yohaig emails were sent out to registered consumers or those known to be over 18.

Most Iron Man fans are grownups, it said.

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

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

However, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) supported the complaint against the yohaig code 4 May e-mail, saying that betting advertisements must not be most likely to be of particular attract children, especially by showing or being related to youth culture.

The ASA said it comprehended that the email was just sent out to individuals aged 18 and over, but nevertheless, the restrictions still used.

It stated that as all Facebook users must state themselves to be a minimum of 13 years old, more youthful children were for that reason excluded from the sample used by Ladbrokes to support its position.

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

"We comprehended that Iron Man was a popular character that would interest numerous adults however considered its comic book nature, and the yohaig code schedule of numerous associated toys, suggested it was most likely to have particular appeal to kids and youths.

"We therefore concluded that the ad breached the this promotion code."

A Ladbrokes spokesman said: "We are conscious of the ASA judgment and are now considering our alternatives, including the yohaig code possibility of requesting an independent evaluation which becomes part of the ASA appeals process."

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ASA - Advertising Standards Authority