Odds stacked against 'Ladbucks' after ASA ad ban

The future of Labrokes’ reward scheme, Ladbucks, appears to be in jeopardy following a ruling that the brand too closely resembles currencies offered in video games and is likely to be of strong appeal to under-18s.

The decision follows the airing of a TV ad in December, which featured a voiceover that stated: “This is a Ladbuck, the new way to get rewarded at Ladbrokes, and these are some of the 100 million Ladbucks that will be dropping weekly.

“Collect them on our free to play games and choose rewards like free spins, free bets and more … Plus you can even use them to play your favourite games for free in our Ladbucks arcade. Like Fishin Frenzy and Goldstrike.”

The ad also ran Channel 4’s Video on Demand at around the same time.

The ads sparked only two complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority, but the watchdog still launched an investigation.

In its defence, Ladbrokes said the term ‘Ladbucks’ was chosen as a play on the word Ladbrokes, and because it referenced, through the use of the term bucks, that it had value on the Ladbrokes website.

It insisted the word had no origins in youth culture and believed that it was not of inherent strong appeal to under-18s, and highlighted that both ads had targeting restrictions to reduce the likelihood of children viewing them.

The betting firm said it believed that the term was not associated with any coins from video games which were popular with under-18s, adding that ‘V-Bucks’ from Fortnite and ‘Robux’ from Roblox were in-game currencies that had to be purchased before being used to buy in-game items.

In addition, it did not believe the term “lad” referred to a boy or young man and said its brand had never been used in that context.

However, the ASA pointed out that several online games popular with under-18s, such as Roblox and Fortnite, had their own in-game currencies, which were depicted as coins.

It also cited Ofcom’s 2024 report into media use and attitudes, 60% of children aged between three and 17 years gamed online, while 89% of 11 to 18-year-olds gamed online weekly, with categories of games that were most popular including building games, such as Roblox, followed by games played against others, such as Fortnite.

The ASA added that the name “Ladbucks”, when considered alongside the imagery and the application of the coin in the ads, was “depicted in a manner which was similar to features in video games popular with children”.

It banned the ads from appearing again in that form.

However, it seems Entain, which owns Ladbrokes, is not going down without a fight.

A spokesperson said: “We are disappointed by the ASA’s ruling on our Ladbucks advertising campaign, and we are seeking an independent review of what we consider to be a flawed decision.

“For example, it is based on an inaccurate comparison with games such as Fortnite or Roblox and their in-game currencies. Entain works extremely carefully to ensure that its advertising does not target or appeal to under-18s. We maintain that this was a responsibly created and targeted campaign.”

Ladbrokes is no stranger to ASA investigations, but this case is different as it appears the watchdog has taken exception to the Ladbucks brand, rather than some rogue small print or wording.

If the review Ladbrokes is seeking is unsuccessful, it is hard to see how the Ladbucks brand will survive. After all, if the company cannot promote it without falling foul of the ASA, the odds would appear firmly stacked against its future.