LeoVegas and 32Red TV ads pass ASA scrutiny
The regulator insists 32Red’s Saturday Night Takeaway-themed slot does not appeal to under 18s
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has dismissed two complaints about TV ads from LeoVegas and Kindred Group casino brand 32Red.
One viewer complained that a 32Red advert for its Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway-themed online slot game had particular appeal to under 18s and was therefore irresponsible.
In its response, 32Red said Saturday Night Takeaway is not targeted at under 18s as the show has a wide audience profile, and under 18s were under-represented as a proportion of the population in the ITV show’s audience.
The ASA agreed, ruling: “The viewing figures of the TV show, taken from BARB data, showed that while many under 18s watched the TV show, it consistently produced an index score below 120, meaning that the TV show was never of proportionately greater appeal to under-18s than it was to the viewing population as a whole.”
The regulator also ruled in favour of a LeoVegas TV ad for www.21.co.uk that depicted a man in a tuxedo deep in thought at a blackjack table.
The ad played a heartbeat sound whilst the voice-over stated: “His heart is pounding. His body is still. He shuffles his chips as he thinks. Heart versus head. Emotion versus reason. He makes his move.”
One complainant challenged whether the ad portrayed gambling in a context of toughness.
LeoVegas argued that “no physical actions or attributes of the character indicated mental or physical toughness” and that the player’s heart was pounding because he was “experiencing an acceptable level of excitement or thrill”.
The ASA noted the ad featured “stylised, dramatic effects which emphasised that the player was in a tense, decisive moment in the game of blackjack” but did not find a breach in its advertising code.