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ASA Ruling on Ladbrokes plc

Ladbrokes plc t/a Betdaq

57/63 Line Wall Road
Gibraltar

Date:

27 August 2014

Media:

Internet (sales promotion)

Sector:

Leisure

Number of complaints:

1

Complaint Ref:

A14-269845

Ad

A website for a betting service, www.betdaq.com, featured an image of the statue of Christ the Redeemer with the surrounding city of Rio de Janeiro visible behind. The statue had been digitally altered so that the figure's robe was purple, and the word "BETDAQ" had been superimposed onto it. The image was headed "WORLD CUP 2014 - BET WITH BETDAQ"

Issue

The complainant objected that the use of an image of Jesus Christ to promote gambling would be offensive to Christians.

CAP Code (Edition 12)

Response

Ladbrokes International Ltd t/a Betdaq stated that they did not intend for the ad, and the use of the image, to cause offence. They said that as a result of the complaint they had removed the image from the website, and stated that they would not use the ad or image again.

Assessment

Upheld

The ASA acknowledged that the statute of Christ the Redeemer was a well-known landmark for the city of Rio de Janeiro and was therefore likely to be understood as a reference to the city and the location of the 2014 World Cup, particularly as the city was visible in the background of the image and the tournament was clearly referenced in the ad. However, we also understood that any image of Jesus was likely to hold religious connotations for believers, and that despite its secular use as a landmark this was still the case for the statue in question. We noted that, although the figure was not seen taking an active part in gambling, it was emblazoned with the logo and colour scheme of a betting company and was featured in a prominent role in an ad for a gambling service. We considered that this created an association between the figure of Christ and gambling and commercial activities. We therefore concluded that the ad was likely to cause serious offence to some visitors to the website.

The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 4.1 (Harm and Offence).

Action

The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Ladbrokes to take care in future when using religious imagery.

How to comply with the rules

For advice and training on the Advertising Codes please visit the CAP website.

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