The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has reversed its June 2025 decision made against Ladbrokes for its Ladbuck TV and video on-demand campaign.
The original ruling saw the ad watchdog tell the Entain-owned brand to pull the ads after they were deemed to have breached the BCAP and CAP codes.
The ASA had told Ladbrokes “not to include content in ads that was reflective of youth culture or which had strong appeal to those under 18 years of age”.
The action came after complaints were made around the Ladbuck ads, which promoted Ladbrokes’ in-house loyalty programme.
In the June ruling, the ASA said similarities between in-game currencies such as Robux in Roblox and V-Bucks in Fortnite meant Ladbucks would be of appeal to children.
However, the body has now performed a U-turn, with the complaints overturned after determining the campaign did not breach the BCAP and CAP codes.
The ASA did not disclose why it has reopened the case.
In its new ruling, the ASA stated the “vast popularity” of Fortnite and Roblox meant under-18s would be aware of in-game currencies and because of that “their names and imagery were strongly associated with youth culture”.
However, in a shift from its previous position, the ASA said the word “Ladbuck” in isolation was “unlikely to draw obvious comparisons with the online currencies V-Bucks and Robux”.
In the June ruling, the body argued the “bucks” suffix had “had strong similarities to the in-game currencies Robux and V-Bucks”.
“While we accepted the use of the prefix ‘lad’ was for its link to the brand, and we did not consider the brand’s name itself to be of appeal to children, we also considered that ‘lad’ was a colloquial term for a boy or young man. In the context of the ad and its use alongside the word ‘buck’, the word ‘lad’ would have also been recognised and of appeal to some under-18s,” the original ruling added.
The new investigation also explored whether Ladbucks’ depiction had created an “obvious comparison” with the in-game currencies.
The ASA noted the poker chip-style for the Ladbuck “reflected long-established gambling conventions, which was adult-oriented”.
“Plain” typography, style and colour were also referenced as in contrast to Fortnite and Roblox where the environment is “bright, varied and highly animated”.
The ASA said: “We considered that although the name Ladbuck alongside the token’s imagery created some parallels with in-game currencies popular with under-18s, those similarities were not obvious enough to make the ads likely to be of strong appeal to under-18s.
“Those similar features were generic and did not invite an obvious comparison with the tokens used in Fortnite and Roblox. Therefore, we concluded the ads were not likely to be of strong appeal to under-18s.”
At the time of the ASA’s original publication, Ladbrokes pulled the ads in question.
An Entain spokesperson said: “We welcome the ASA’s decision to overturn its original ruling on Ladbucks advertising.
“The independent review has recognised that this was a responsibly designed marketing that does not have a strong appeal to under 18 year olds.”
The post ASA U-turns on Ladbrokes loyalty programme ad ruling first appeared on EGR Intel.
Watchdog reverses June 2025 decision after revisit finds the ad did not pose similarities to in-game currencies in popular Fortnite and Roblox titles
The post ASA U-turns on Ladbrokes loyalty programme ad ruling first appeared on EGR Intel.