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The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has dismissed a complaint brought against Entain’s operated online gambling and sportsbetting brand Ladbrokes.
The ASA ruling concludes in an official press release that the Facebook advertisement in March did not appeal to an underage audience.
The paid-for Facebook post stated ‘Play The Goonies Jpk at Ladbrokes. Get 30+ Free Spins on top of your £50.’ Underneath was an image of a nautical map with superimposed text that stated ‘The Goonies’ along with realistic-looking golden doubloons and a logo that stated ‘Jackpot King.’
According to the complainant, the ad’s reference to the film ‘The Goonies’ was likely to be of particular appeal to those under 18 years of age. Therefore the complainant brought up charges and challenged whether the ad breached the ASA’s regulations.
In its defense, Ladbrokes stated that the ad went through a carefully conducted internal review in full compliance of regulations. Nonetheless, in response to the complaint they had subsequently removed the ad from Facebook and associated ad campaigns. The online operator stressed that the advertisement did not contain any imagery or characters from The Goonies. In addition the operator pointed to the film being dated back in 1985 and therefore not well known to children in 2021. Ladbrokes made it clear to have targeted males and females aged 18 years old and over and that existing customers and self-excluded users were excluded from being targeted.
In the official announcement, the ASA said:
“The CAP Code stated that gambling ads must not be likely to be of particular appeal to children or young persons, especially by reflecting or being associated with youth culture. Gambling ads could not therefore appeal more strongly to under-18s than they did to over-18s. The ASA understood that the ad was not seen in an age-gated environment and outside of that environment Ladbrokes had taken steps to target the ad only at those aged 18 years of age and over. However, we understood that targeting of the ad was based on an audience which had self-reported their age and where there were otherwise no prohibitions on under-18s. Therefore, the steps taken could not ensure that under-18s, who falsely reported their age, were not exposed to the ad. We therefore considered whether it complied with the Code’s requirement that gambling ads must not be of particular appeal to children.”
“We understood that when it was initially released in 1985, “The Goonies” – which involved a pirate-themed treasure hunt, and featured a cast predominantly comprised of children – had been directed at, and would have particularly appealed to, audiences under the age of 18. We understood that since its release the film had become available on streaming services, but had not seen widespread re-release in cinemas. We also understood that the film had gained cult status, particularly among adults who were children when the film was originally released. We considered that because of that, it was not a recent or current film with which children were likely to be familiar. Nonetheless, we considered the content of the film was likely to have some appeal for them. However, given its popularity among adults, we did not consider that it was likely to appeal more to under-18s than over-18s.”
“We noted that while the ad featured “The Goonies” logo and typeface, it did not feature any characters or other imagery from the film. We considered that the nautical map and golden doubloons featured in the ad were not colourful, cartoonish, or otherwise presented in a way that was likely to resonate with children, and were more likely to have general or adult appeal. We therefore concluded that the ad was not of particular appeal to under-18s and had not breached the Code.”