Bookmaker William Hill has run into trouble with the ad watchdog after a TV ad showing “sensual areas” of a female casino croupier – dressed in a basque-style top – was blasted for linking sex with gambling.
The ad began with a close-up of a woman who opened her eyes and looked at the camera, it then panned down past her chest to a roulette wheel, a pack of playing cards and gambling chips.
A voiceover stated “experience a live casino like no other” while the creative featured several female casino croupiers in gold basque-type tops.
The ad, by Beattie McGuinness Bungay, sparked complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority from The Gambling Reform & Society Perception Group and a member of the public, who complained it linked gambling to seduction.
William Hill denied the link, claiming all the uniforms shown were “tasteful, and professional”.
But the ASA did not agree. It said the focus on the eyes in the first scene of the ad could be interpreted as a “signal of attraction”, while by showing “sensual areas” of the female croupier’s body, it enhanced the sense of seduction.
Even though it understood that the basque-style tops were identical to those worn by the actual croupiers, it did not consider this to be a suitable justification for using them in the ad or showing sensual areas of the women’s body.
It ruled the ad must not be broadcast again in its current form.
