‘Suicide’ gambling advert banned
An "irresponsible" advert for betting affiliate website FanBet has been banned.
The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the internet ad, which featured on arsenalstation.com in January, must not appear again in its current form.
The advert displayed the text ‘Save Yourself’ with a silhouette of a man hanging from a rope by his neck.
A single complainant was concerned about the depiction of suicide in the context of a gambling advert and challenged whether it was likely to cause offence, in particular to those affected by suicide, mental health conditions or gambling problems.
FanBet removed the advert as soon as it was contacted by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The ASA ruled that the silhouette created an association between gambling and suicide that was irresponsible in a gambling ad.
It was also concerned that the ad presented suicide in a light-hearted way and that it suggested that continued gambling could address previous poor results, and/or associated suicidal feelings.
The ASA considered the ad was likely to cause serious offence, in particular to those affected by suicide, mental health conditions or gambling problems.
The advert was ruled to have breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 4.1 (Harm and offence) and 16.1 (Gambling).
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