ASA Clears Betfair Over ‘Irresponsible’ Advertisement Complaint
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has cleared Betfair of a complaint.
A television advertisement for Betfair has been cleared after a complaint deemed the ad “irresponsible” for focusing on the excitement of betting and claimed that it exploited the “susceptibilities of young men”.
The advertisement was broadcasted on November 11, 2018, and features a young man walking down a street while checking his mobile phone. As he walks, he passes through a ‘secret door’ that leads him to a room with a screen displaying horse racing.
At the same time, a voiceover states: “My guy says that horse is something special and my smarts say to back it up on the Betfair Exchange where I get bigger returns than if I bet with one of these other bookies. That’s why I go to Betfair. Betfair, where guy instinct meets smarts.”
Despite the complaint, the ASA ruled that the advertisement did not breach any advertising rules and that no further action was necessary.
What They Say
Following the complaint, Betfair argued that the advert suggested that the Betfair Exchange offered better odds than other bookmakers and that gambling didn’t have any priority in the man’s life as he wasn’t shown placing a bet in the ad.
Betfair also stated that the advertisement wasn’t aimed at under-18s but aimed to educate viewers about the range of odds available at different bookmakers.
Clearcast, a non-governmental firm responsible for approving advertisements, stated that the man was shown to be over the age of 25 and was portrayed as “one of many unremarkable people in a fantastical location designed to be a metaphor for the ‘community’ of customers using the app.”