Ladbrokes promotes responsible gambling with new campaign

Ladbrokes is to become the first UK betting company to launch a commercial promoting responsible gambling .

The advert, which will replace the Tiziano ads, is due for broadcast on British televisions tonight (May 16th) as part of the 'Ladbrokes Life' campaign that began last month and celebrates the different characteristics and personalities of its customers.

Featuring a character named Mr Brightside , the adverts were developed by the marketing agency BBH in London who were commissioned with striking a less aggressive tone than their competitors.

"This is just the price I pay"

In the latest advert, the appropriately named Mr Brightside is denied a winning football bet by a linesman yet still goes on to enjoy a night out with friends later that evening.

The commercial closes with a tag line that simply reads “Please Bet Responsibly” and does not offer a sales pitch or call to action.

The initiative is part of an effort by Harrow based Ladbrokes to promote greater responsibility between gambling providers and their customers.

This advert is just a small part of a wider campaign which also includes the introduction of the Association of British Bookmakers code of player protection and new set limits software on FOBT machines as well as the retraining of Ladbrokes’ staff.

The brand has also pledged to dedicate twenty percent of all shop window space to its new campaign, in addition to running in-shop adverts promoting responsibility, featuring top football pundit Chris Kamara.

It pays to be nice

Richard Glynn, Ladbrokes CEO

Ladbrokes has also stolen a lead on its rivals by setting responsible business benchmarks, all of which will be monitored by a committee of the board.

Chief executive of Ladbrokes, Richard Glynn, said; “Most betting customers will recognise the message in the advertisement as something they already practice but we believe it is important to continue to promote responsible gambling to ensure people stay within their limits and don’t take unnecessary risks."

He continued, “It is part of a package of awareness and self-help measures that customers value and appreciate. We remain focused on continuing to evolve our approach to promote responsible gambling in conjunction with Government, the Gambling Commission and the industry.”