- Today, Ladbrokes has launched the first dedicated TV advertisement that promotes responsible gambling.
- The responsible gaming message is to bet with money you can afford to lose, and don’t let a losing bet affect your life. The advert closes with the message “Please Bet Responsibly.”
- Six months ago, UK Gambling Commission Chairman criticized the gambling industry for not taking responsibility for its own poor public image.
Today, Ladbrokes has launched the first dedicated TV advertisement that promotes responsible gambling.
The advert builds on a publicity campaign which highlights a group of typical Ladbrokes customers.
Each is given a name and a gambling characteristic—“the professor” is a “calculator with a beard,” who knows all the odds and statistics and the “Gut Truster” is someone who cares nothing about the odds, but adopts a spiritualistic approach to choosing bets by instinct.
Mr Brightside is a manic, full of energy and it is this character whom Ladbrokes have used for their responsible gaming message.
Mr Brightside is shown celebrating a huge win as he predicts the first goal scorer in a soccer match. His joy quickly turns sour as a linesman disallows the goal.
Rather than be miserable at losing his bet, Mr Brightside—as in “look on the Brightside”—spends the evening enjoying himself dancing, manically, in a club.
The responsible gaming message is to bet with money you can afford to lose, and don’t let a losing bet affect your life. The advert closes with the message “Please Bet Responsibly.”
“Most betting customers will recognise the message in the advertisement as something they already practice but we believe it is important to continue to promote responsible gambling to ensure people stay within their limits and don’t take unnecessary risks,” explains Ladbrokes CEO Richard Glynn.
Six months ago, UK Gambling Commission Chairman criticized the gambling industry for not taking responsibility for its own poor public image. He argued that the industry has “yet to convince the public that they recognise that the entertainment they provide has real risks.”
Ladbrokes latest advert looks like a big step in the direction indicated by Philip Graf.
Ladbrokes has taken an even more significant step in “establishing a committee of the plc board to set responsible business benchmarks and for elements of executive pay to be linked to responsible gambling measures.”
