MP’s complaints rejected by ASA
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) today rejected five complaints made by Shipley MP Philip Davies about advertisements run by the Campaign for Fairer Gambling. The ASA found no justification for upholding his complaints.
Mr Davies, who has already been subject to scrutiny for his close links to the betting sector, submitted the complaints on a personal basis but portrayed his complaints to the media as being on behalf of the All Party Parliamentary Betting and Gaming Group, of which he is a co-Chairman.
The Campaign for Fairer Gambling advertised in Parliamentary magazine The House, which is read by politicians, calling for them to “Pull the Plug” on roulette machines in betting shops, known as Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs). It recommended a reduction from the current £100 stake to a £2 maximum stake, in line with the maximum stake on other British high street gambling machines. The advertisement drew complaints from Mr Davies on the following points:
1.“FOBTs are the scourge of the high street”
2.“FOBTs with their addictive roulette content”
3.“FOBTs … have since [2005 Gambling Act] multiplied to such an extent that they are now known as ‘the crack cocaine of gambling’”
4.“Now is the time to take a stand on FOBTs and protect the thousands of families who fall foul of FOBT addiction each year”
5.“The reason so many new betting shops are opening on our high streets is to offer more FOBTs on which you can bet up to 100 nearly every 20 seconds. It is time to act to prevent exploitation of poorer communities during a time of recession”
However, the ASA has determined that these claims were not misleading and that the Campaign provided relevant substantiation of the assertions in the advertisement.
Commenting on the decision, Derek Webb, who founded the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, said: “Mr Davies was able to get media coverage attacking our Campaign by complaining to the ASA. Although his complaint should have been confidential he disclosed points in it to the media. Our House ad content has been vindicated by the ASA, whilst Mr Davies has run true to form and been exposed as acting in the interests of the bookmakers yet again.
“Every time Mr Davies speaks about gambling in Parliament or in Committees, he speaks on behalf of the betting sector. He calls for lower taxes, less regulation and for more addictive FOBTs to be allowed, whilst he has enjoyed the generous hospitality of the bookmakers.
“FOBTs, the most addictive form of gambling, were first allowed based on deceptions by the betting sector. It’s time for Government to disregard the claims of the bookmakers and their allies and pay attention to our substantiated and not misleading Campaign claims. Government has the power to reduce the maximum stake on these addictive betting shop roulette machines to £2. It’s time to Stop the FOBTs now.”
