Gambling operator Paddy Power, notoriously known for its clever but often offensive, provocative, and inappropriate ads, has once again been scolded by UK’s advertising watchdog, this time for letting customers believe that they are all eligible for taking part in a Cheltenham Festival promotion.
As many as 11 complaints were filed with the Advertising Standards Authority against the ad. Paddy Power’s advertising campaign for this year’s Cheltenham Festival included a commercial featuring Fonejacker comedian Kayvan Novak. Answering the operator’s “complaints line,” the actor had to confirm to a caller that the latest promotion was indeed available even to “riff raff.”
The betting offer, however, was not open to all Paddy Power customers. About 0.5% of the operator’s customer base had been blocked from taking part in the promotion on suspicions that bettors could abuse the promotion or use it to secure themselves with a guaranteed profit no matter the outcome.
Paddy Power’s Cheltenham promotion promised that everyone whose horse has finished second in any of the races featured would get their money back.
According to the complainants filed, the ad was misleading, making customers believe that they could all participate in the offer. The ASA reviewed the matter and decided that the ad, indeed, created wrong impression upon potential participants, even though it featured an on-screen text that read “T&Cs apply.”
Paddy Power has explained that it had informed customers about any exclusions applied in a timely manner. All bettors who were not to be offered any enhanced prices, bonuses, or promotions had been sent emails to be reminded that they would not be able to participate in the upcoming offer.
The ASA ruled that the ad should never again be showed in its current form and warned Paddy Power that it should not state openly or even imply that promotions are open to all gambling customers when and if that was not the case.
As already mentioned, this has not been the first time when the gambling operator has been reprimanded by the advertising regulator. In 2014, its Oscar Pistorius ad had a record number of 5,525 complaints filed against it. The ASA ordered that the ad was pulled out from media immediately as it trivialized domestic violence and made fun of the former Paralympic champion’s disability.
