The online gambling firm 888.com will remove its advertisements from Transport for London, after Mayor Sadiq Khan has been excoriated for continuing to allow them after campaigning to end them, the Guardian reported April 28.
The mayor is coming up for election again, and his top rival, Susan Hall, has been joined by clinicians and members of the House of Lords in criticizing the transport system for accepting the ads.
They point out the system has refused to accept ads for cheese, sponge cake and a tennis tournament’s strawberries and cream, saying they promote unhealthy consumption.
When running for mayor in 2021, Khan promised to take down gambling ads on the transport system. But he never followed through with his promise.
Meanwhile 888.com’s ad campaign that included “Your bus is now a casino” was considered particularly insensitive by gambling opponents. In addition, clinicians consider online gaming to be associated with higher rates of harm than other forms of gambling.
Reacting to the barrage of criticism, an 888 spokesperson commented, “We continuously listen to feedback regarding the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns and acknowledge that, whilst fully compliant with all advertising regulations and standards, our latest campaign could be interpreted in a different manner to the brand position we aim for.”
The statement concluded, “As a result, we have decided to change the focus of this campaign and are withdrawing certain adverts that are currently running.”
