The United Kingdom’s advertising regulatory body, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), prohibited a promotional piece from internet gaming platform 21.co.uk for excessively highlighting expertise in a 30-second clip showcasing blackjack.
Aired in March 2017, the advertisement depicted a blackjack participant in formal attire meticulously contemplating his wager as a narrator declared: “His heartbeat accelerates. His physique remains motionless. He analyzes his hand. Feeling versus intellect. Intuition versus rationale. He reaches a decision. He seizes command of his fate.”
The ASA expressed two primary reservations regarding the advertisement. Firstly, whether the statement “he takes control of his destiny” suggested that gambling hinges on proficiency rather than luck, rendering the advertisement socially irresponsible. Secondly, whether the advertisement depicted gambling in a “challenging setting.”
Although 21.co.uk contended that blackjack is a strategic card game and that “taking control of his destiny” is a prevalent expression alluding to the beneficial influence of practice on a player’s likelihood of triumph, the ASA maintained that the advertisement was irresponsible.
Moreover, while the ASA acknowledged that the individual did not exhibit “blatant physical characteristics of resilience,” it upheld the second point of dispute, explaining that “viewers would interpret him as displaying mental fortitude or tenacity within the context of him undertaking a substantial risk by wagering a considerable sum of money in a single instance.”
The United Kingdom’s advertising watchdog, the ASA, recently pulled an ad campaign for an online betting platform. Although the advertisement did not depict the individual engaging in gambling directly, viewers expressed concern over the portrayal of his dilating pupils, interpreting it as an implication of a gambling-induced high. The ASA essentially determined that the man in the advertisement appeared relatively composed and not on the verge of losing control, thus deeming it not to be a significant issue. However, they proceeded to instruct the company, 21.co.uk, to cease using the advertisement and to moderate their use of “strategic” language in future campaigns.
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