Internet betting group 888 Holdings has been sanctioned by the UK Advertising Standards Authority for running a television ad that showed a depressed man who found 888 Casino and won big.
The offending ad showcased a man named William, who had sold his house and stood at £130,000 in debt to pay for his wife's cancer treatment. Obviously, this left William feeling depressed. That is until he found 888.com and spun the reels, winning more than 30 times his annual salary. The ad ended with the tagline, "His debt and financial worries came to an abrupt end."
The ASA said the ad targeted vulnerable people and was irresponsible by the standards of the law and needed to be removed. 888 agreed, saying that the spot was created by an affiliate, noting that they've pulled the spot and terminated their relationship with the group.
888 has run afoul of the ASA in the past, as four other spots were ordered removed by the group, with 11 other violations requiring fixes.