Coral ad under fire for linking gambling to seduction
A TV ad for bookmakers Coral has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after the watchdog found it guilty of linking gambling to seduction.
The spot showed two men in a barbers shop reading the Racing Post and debating placing a bet, before a woman, wearing a jockey's outfit that left her midriff bare, walked into the shop. The woman was then shown holding a sign bearing the odds for a horse in an upcoming race, before bending over the first man and touching his mobile phone with her whip.
The man then placed a bet through the Coral app on his phone whilst the voice-over stated, "Great prices from Coral".
Coral defended the ad and said that it made use “of an attractive female character” but that it did not consider that it linked gambling with seduction, sexual success or enhanced attractiveness.
The bookmaker added that the woman did not flirt with or seduce the men and that their reaction was to the Coral Interactive offer itself.
However, the ASA said the manner in which the woman entered placed “an immediate emphasis” on her sexual attractiveness, because the camera angle initially focused on her knee-high boots and then cut to showing her midriff.
“Because she represented the Coral Interactive brand and was shown playing a seductive role in the scenario depicted, we concluded that the ad linked gambling to seduction and was therefore in breach of the Code,” the ASA stated.
The ad must not be broadcast again in its current form.