Background
Summary of Council decision:
Two issues were investigated, both of which were Upheld.
Ad description
A paid-for Facebook ad and a paid-for X ad for LEBOM, a sports betting app, seen in April 2025:
a. The Facebook ad featured a video of internet personality Mashtag Brady talking about the LEBOM app. He said, “Today we are going to be playing LEBOM. LEBOM allows you to gamble against your friends on the Premier League. All you need to do is make your predictions on all of the weekend’s games. You put some money in the pot and then the winner takes it all, baby. It’s pretty f-[censored] genius.” The video included a demonstration of how the LEBOM app worked and showed clips of Mashtag and a group of friends with alcoholic drinks. They drank shots whilst Mashtag said, “Let’s get pissed.”
The video then showed clips of Mashtag and his friends in a busy bar as he said, “We also have a forfeit for whoever comes bottom in the table on LEBOM.” A member of the group was told he had won the £200 prize pot. He and his friends were shown continuing to drink alcohol to celebrate the winner. The loser was shown stripping down to his underwear and walking through the bar. Mashtag said, “So download LEBOM and get betting with your friends. Don’t bet against the bookie, bet against the boys, that’s the best way about doing it.”
b. The X ad featured a similar video with the same internet personality as ad (a). He said, “So, we are going to be playing LEBOM. LEBOM allows you to gamble against your friends instead of the bookies. It’s pretty fucking genius. Let’s go get absolutely fucked up.” The video included shortened clips from ad (a) of Mashtag and his friends drinking shots, celebrating and completing a forfeit before Mashtag said, “So download LEBOM. Don’t bet against the bookie, bet against the boys”.
Issue
Two complainants challenged whether the ads:
- portrayed, condoned or encouraged gambling behaviour that was socially irresponsible; and
- encouraged excessive drinking and were therefore irresponsible.
Response
LEBOM Ltd believed their betting app was different from other gambling products because it provided a shared social experience similar to a pub sweepstake or fantasy football league. They highlighted that their platform offered a number of in-built safeguards, including maximum stakes and controlled game frequency. They believed their ads, which demonstrated that they utilised a peer-based model without traditional betting odds, were socially responsible.
LEBOM said they worked with content creators to present their product honestly and authentically in their ads. The clips featured in the ads were taken from an unscripted long-form YouTube video produced by the internet personality Mashtag Brady for his social media audience. They stated the tone of the video parodied a drinking game which was colloquially known as ‘Soccer Saturday’, which was consistent with Mashtag Brady’s usual social media content. They believed the references to alcohol were incidental and not part of the app’s gameplay. They explained that scenes of the ‘loser’ completing a forfeit were intended to show that there was always a loser on LEBOM. They said they featured individuals losing bets in almost all of their ads to responsibly reflect the reality of gambling. They believed that because they showed the LEBOM app being used in a realistic, relatable context, the ads were responsible.
They stated that, upon notification of the ASA’s investigation, they had removed all ads which featured the phrases “Let’s get pissed” and “Let’s go get absolutely fucked up”. They had also removed an ad featuring the ‘loser’ being made to order drinks in his underwear as a forfeit.
Assessment
1. Upheld
The CAP Code stated that marketing communications for gambling must be socially responsible and must not suggest gambling is a way to improve self-esteem or gain recognition or admiration.CAP’s advertising guidance on responsibility and problem gambling stated that marketing communications that portrayed a character being treated with admiration by others as a result of their gambling were likely to link gambling with improved self-esteem.
The ads featured clips of a friendship group cheering for the winner of the prize pot and laughing as the loser was made to strip to his underwear as a forfeit. The winner appeared to be praised by the group, in contrast to the loser, who was mocked. Whilst we acknowledged LEBOM’s intention to portray losing as part of the reality of gambling, we considered that the ads went beyond referencing the emotion associated with losing. Instead, they showed the winner being celebrated by his friends whilst the loser was made to complete an embarrassing forfeit. That created the impression that the winner, who had had the most success gambling, was someone to be admired and the loser was someone to be looked down on. We therefore considered that the ads irresponsibly linked gambling with improved recognition or self-esteem.
On that point, the ads breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 16.1, 16.3.1 and 16.3.6 (Gambling).
2. Upheld
The CAP Code also stated that marketing communications must contain nothing that was likely to lead people to adopt styles of drinking that were unwise. For example, they should not encourage excessive drinking.
The ads featured clips of an internet personality, Mashtag Brady, and a group of friends drinking alcohol whilst using the LEBOM app. We considered that, rather than being incidental to the setting, alcohol was prominently featured in the ads. The group was shown drinking alcohol as they monitored their results on the LEBOM app, and Mashtag said the phrases “Let’s get pissed” and “Let’s go get absolutely fucked up”. It was implied that all members of the group had been drinking heavily and were intoxicated. We considered those scenes encouraged excessive drinking by presenting binge drinking alcohol in a humorous manner. We also considered those same scenes presented drinking excessive alcohol as an activity that could be combined with gambling in order to improve socialising with friends, and which trivialised the risks of gambling whilst under the influence of alcohol. We considered that by portraying and encouraging excessive drinking, including within the context of gambling, the ads were irresponsible and breached the Code.
On that point, the ads breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 18.1 (Alcohol).
Action
The ads must not appear again in the form complained of. We told LEBOM Ltd to ensure that their future ads did not portray, condone, or encourage gambling behaviour that was socially irresponsible, or encourage excessive drinking.
