Advertisements for Ladbrokes, a prominent bookmaker, have been displayed to parents through a smartphone app commonly used as a baby monitor. One user of the app, an advocate for tougher gambling regulations, expressed shock at seeing a Ladbrokes promotion offering a “£30 welcome bonus.” The ad also featured the industry-wide message “take time to think,” intended to promote safer gambling. The app in question, YCC365 Plus, a Chinese-made home monitoring camera, is often advertised for use with baby monitors on leading online retail sites.
Despite this, Entain, Ladbrokes’ parent company, stated that the advert did not breach its guidelines as the app was not targeted at under-18s. This incident is not the first time Entain brands have faced controversy. In 2023, Ladbrokes’ sister company was accused of targeting new parents through affiliate marketing, a claim Entain denied, citing pre-acquisition practices.
Gambling adverts on baby monitor apps
Tom Fleming, a concerned parent and communications adviser for the gambling reform charity Gambling with Lives, voiced his unease: “Watching my baby on camera with a gambling ad visible just feels wrong. It’s something that’s there to keep my child safe but it’s also feeding through a stream of offers for harmful free bets and the like.”
Campaigners and government officials argue that such incidents highlight the need for stricter controls on gambling advertisements.
Don Foster, a peer, stated, “The whole system of gambling adverts in this country is now completely out of control, showing the inadequacy of government regulation and of the self-regulatory body overseeing it. Many other countries have much tighter regulations and stronger enforcement. Rather than promising support for growth in the gambling industry, our government should be doing the same.”
Will Prochaska from the Coalition to End Gambling Ads emphasized the predatory nature of gambling ads targeted at vulnerable groups: “Targeting exhausted parents is yet another predatory tactic of the gambling industry, which makes most of its money from people it harms.”
In response, a spokesperson for Entain reiterated their compliance processes: “We have compliance processes in place to help ensure that our adverts do not appear on apps that are targeted at anyone under the age of 18.
The app in question, YCC365 Plus, is a home monitoring camera system and has therefore not been deemed to be targeted at under-18s.”
Apple and the maker of the app have been approached for comment.
