Since the clock hit midnight on September 1st eagle eyed industry figures have been keeping a close eye to ensure relaxed laws in relation to gambling in the UK aren’t flaunted.

One of the areas under most scrutiny is gambling advertising and already one of Britain’s heavy weight companies is having one of their ads investigated.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says they will look into allegations that a popular Ladbrokes ad broke the rules

The commercial features ex footballers Ian Wright, Lee Dixon, Ally McCoist and Chris Kamara as builders. The four men are on their break in a greasy spoon café discussing which team is going to win the Premier League this season.

At one point one of the footballers is told to ‘put his money where his mouth is’ and this line is the one to which many have objected.

Opponents of the commercial say that the ad could influence young people to gamble and that it also encourages bravado. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) will look into the allegations, but analysts have been warned not to jump to conclusions about the ad because it is standard procedure for the ASA to investigate all complaints.

A spokesman for Ladbrokes said, "Given that it's the first time gambling companies have been able to advertise, we're not entirely surprised there have been complaints. But we don't think we have transgressed and we will vigorously defend our case."

This is the second time the Ladbrokes ad has come under fire. ITV was pressured to pull the ad after it aired in the middle of the day during the Rugby World Cup, but it was determined that the ad was legal even with the time it aired because the 9:00 PM rule is not in effect during live sporting events.

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