UK Continues Responsible Gambling Oversight With Ladbrokes Ad Ban

It is becoming more clear with every passing day why the UK is leading the way in the regulated gambling industry. They have made adjustments to their system recently, most notably the Advertising Standards Authority.

The UK recently expanded the ability of gambling companies to advertise. Along with those rights, however, they also put some stiff regulations in place that needed to be adhered to by the companies.

Ladbrokes has become the latest company to test the Authority, and they have lost. The company, which currently is trading slightly down at -0.52, has had one of their ads banned by the Authority for likening gambling to risky and reckless behavior.

"Ladbroke4s fully supports the code of practice relating to gambling advertising but this ruling is an example of political correctness going to far," said John O' Reilly, the Managing Director of Ladbrokes remote betting and gaming operation.

One of the advertisements that was pulled was about a mentor telling a story about a student who was drawn to the risk of shark jumping with sausage and raw bacon tied to his wetsuit. The ad concluded by saying had the student visited Ladbrokes, he would not have satisfied his passion for risk taking.

While there is some concern about the strictness of the ASA in the UK, there is little doubt that they are showing the rest of the world how gambling companies can be productive if held to regulations.

several companies have pushed the limits of the ASA. Intercasino and Paddy Power previously had ads pulled because of the content, Ladbrokes now joins that group.

In the US, the new administration taking over has shown an interest in regulating the online gambling industry. There have been studies already completed about how different countries regulate their industries.

When the US governments finally begins the regulation process, there are reports they will mirror some of their policies off of the the UK.

January 7, 2009
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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