An online betting site has been rapped by advertising watchdogs for an ad which glamorised gambling.

The press ad, above, showed a man flanked by two scantily-clad women seated in the back of a stretch limo.

Now the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint that the ad implied gambling made men more attractive to women.

Sex

The ad for ShortsandLongs.com, launched in September 2008 as a way to trade financial markets through spread betting, showed the women “touching the man’s arms intimately”, said the ASA.

Upholding the complaint, it said people who saw the ad printed in regional newspapers were likely to infer that “one of the rewards of success in spread betting was enhanced attractiveness and increased sexual success”.

ShortsandLongs.com today condemned the ruling, saying the site actually REDUCES the risks of spread betting.

The company — the trading name of Spreadex Ltd — said it was leading the way in responsible gambling rather than glamorising betting.