GVC wins one, loses one in UK gambling ad watchdog rulings

UK gambling operator GVC Holdings has won one fight and lost another with the country’s advertising watchdog.

On Wednesday, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) dismissed a complaint filed against GVC’s Ladbrokes betting brand for a television commercial that some viewers felt depicted gambling addicts engaging in daily activities that prioritized gambling in their lives.

The ad showed a man celebrating after filling his car’s gas tank and getting the spinning numbers to stop at £77.77. A second man then repeats the phrase ‘hit me’ as fillings are added to the sandwich he’s ordering, claiming that he likes to “double down” when the time is right. Finally, a women spins a circular clothing rail featuring only red and black garments while saying there are “few things more exciting than a spinning wheel.”

Ladbrokes’ response to the complaint was that the ad was a “fun parody of everyday life” while rejecting the assertion that gambling “took precedence over the characters’ work or other daily activities.” Lads said none of the scenes “showed gambling, real or imagined, taking priority over actions.”