By Andrew Hough
LONDON (Reuters) -
A gambling advertisement that claimed
online betting would improve sexual prowess and self esteem has
become one of the first campaigns to be banned under tough new
laws, following criticism from the advertising watchdog.
The national press campaign for online casino Paddy Power
was irresponsible in linking gambling to "seduction, sexual
success and enhanced attractiveness," the Advertising Standards
Authority (ASA) ruled.
The advert, published in the Times, featured a dwarf in a
limousine flanked by two beautiful women, smoking a cigar and
holding up a champagne glass.
A strapline accompanying the advert said: "Who says you
can't make money being short?"
The ASA, in a separate ruling, also criticized a gambling
television advertisement campaign that featured "slapstick,
juvenile humor that was likely to appeal to children."
The Intercasino campaign also featured dwarves, this time
undertaking "Jackass-style" stunts including rolling down hills
in dice outfits and sliding down bell-ropes dressed as
fruit-machine cherries.
Upholding a complaint against Paddy Power, the ASA
criticized it for linking gambling with sexual success and an
improved self-image.
"We concluded the ad suggested this man's 'shortcoming' had
been overcome by the wealth he had acquired through gambling
and therefore that the ad implied gambling was a way to improve
self-esteem or gain recognition or admiration," the ASA ruling
said. "We concluded the ad was irresponsible."
It also criticized InterCasino, saying the juvenile
behavior in the adverts breached the code by appealing to
children or young people.
Paddy Power defended its campaign, saying it recreated a
famous scene from the 1980s Hollywood film "Wall Street,"
starring Michael Douglas as avaricious banker Gordon Gekko.
InterCasino defended its ads as "gentle slapstick humor
reminiscent of old-fashioned routines by Charlie Chaplin or
Benny Hill," which were not designed to appeal to young
children.
(Editing by Stephen Addison)
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