Bingo Association Wins With Camelot Ad

Some while ago there was a hue and cry regarding a National Lottery advertisement that depicted an elderly women driving a mobility cart past an abandoned and derelict bingo hall. The ad showed a padlocked gat as well as a closed sign. She was heard saying "tutt" to herself as she drove past and then went on to purchase a bingo scratch card from the National Lottery.

When this advertisement aired, the Bingo Association took great umbrage, chiefly as they said it was misleading and denigrating to the industry. They said that it implied that all bingo clubs would be closing down and this led to a really bad impression on the industry as it was already struggling. The ad was taken to the ASA or Advertising Standards Authority saying that it breached a series of ASA codes. In recent findings by the ASA, they are in complete agreement with the Bingo Association. The response from the Camelot group was that it was not their intention to portray bingo as a "dying breed" only that bingo halls didn't open till 10:00 or 10:30, and that scratch cards were available 24 hours a day. They argued that the ad depicted not a dying industry, just a bingo hall that was not yet open, the sign said "Closed", not "Closed Down". The ASA noted all of this, however still felt the ad gave the wrong impression and rule against it being aired again.