Complaint about Lotto ad targeting children upheld by ASA

A complaint against Lotto's Mother's Day ad has been upheld. Photo/ file

A complaint accusing Lotto of targeting children in its Mother's Day TV advertising has been upheld because of the strict rules governing gambling advertising.

Complainant S. Coney said the advertisement was directed at minors and was concerned that children were being encouraged to gamble by buying a Lotto ticket for Mother's Day.

Coney worried the ad made gambling seem like a normal part of life and a nice thing to do for someone you loved.

The ad showed a child asleep on a lounge floor in front of a television while a voiceover says: "Isn't it amazing how your floordrobe returns itself to your wardrobe? How dinner just appears on your plate every night? And no matter where you fall asleep, you always wake up in bed."

The child is shown being carried to bed by his mother, the one who did all those things for him.

The viewer is then urged to "thank Mum for the magic this Mother's Day".

Coney said the advertisement had screened on TV One at 7.19pm, when children could be watching and could get the idea that gambling was a "desirable, normal, and a good thing to do for someone you care for".

The complainant added that usual Mother's Day activities involved treating mums - making a meal or taking them out for example - but a Lotto ticket didn't guarantee a tangible gift.

"The idea that mother may end up with nothing is particularly repugnant."

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) board upheld the complaint, under the Code for Advertising Gaming and Gambling, Principle 1 and Principle 2 Guideline 2(a), which state that advertisements should observe a high standard of social responsibility, should not promote gambling or gaming, should not be directed at minors or imply that minors shown will participate in gaming, and should comply with the laws of New Zealand.

The board accepted that the advertisement was not screened during children's
programming times, and did not directly target children.

Therefore, the complaint was not upheld under the Code for Advertising to Children.

However, the board agreed the combination of language, which could be interpreted as speaking to children, and use of present-day images were likely to have strong and evident appeal to children.

Lotto said the ad was not targeted at children.

"The advertisement was designed to celebrate the magic of mums and their seemingly
invisible ways of making things 'magically happen' for their families.

"While a child features in the advertisement, in order to show the magic happening, it is
designed to appeal to adult New Zealanders by prompting them to remember all of the
amazing things their mother did for them throughout their lives."