Gambling Kingz – The British anti-gambling lobbyist group, Campaign for Fairer Gambling, had its ads axed after the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found them misleading.
Complaints against three print ads, published in the parliamentary magazine, The House, were brought to ASA by MP Philip Davies, acting in a personal capacity.
The three ads appeared with the identical text in the magazine, with the only difference being that they were addressed to three separate people – Prime Minister David Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Leader of the Opposition, Ed Miliband.
The disputed ads contained five main points, all of which MP Davies complained about.
ASA found that all five points were misleading.
The statements in the text claimed:
- “FOBTs [Fixed odds betting terminals]…are the scourge of the high street.”
- “FOBTs…have since [the introduction of the 2005 Gambling Act] multiplied to such an extent that they are now dubbed ‘the crack cocaine of gambling'”
- “Now is the time to take a stand on FOBTs and protect the thousands of families who fall foul of FOBT addiction each year”
- “The reason so many new betting shops are opening on our high streets is to offer more FOBTs on which you can bet up to £100 nearly every 20 seconds. It is now time to act to prevent exploitation of poorer communities during a time of recession.”
