ASA rules 21.co.uk TV ad breaches BCAP code

A TV ad for www.21.co.uk, owned by Intellectual Property & Software Ltd (IPS), has been investigated by the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after a complainant felt that the ad “referenced a psychological thrill experienced by gambling addicts”, challenging whether it was socially irresponsible.

The advertisement, flighted in March 2017, showed a man in a tuxedo seated at a blackjack table, as a voice-over said: “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. He makes his own luck.”

In addition to the complaint, the ASA also challenged whether the claim “He makes his own luck” implied that gambling involved skill rather than chance.

Ultimately the ASA dismissed one and upheld two issues relating to breaches of the BCAP Code rule 17.3.8 (Gambling) and ordered the ad may not appear again in its current form.

The ASA told IPS to ensure in future that their advertising did not over-emphasise the role of strategy and did not portray gambling in a context of toughness.

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