Advertisement from Paddy Power and William Hill have been pulled from UK airwaves and the dating app Tinder after consumers complained that they glamorized gambling.
According to the Guardian newspaper, the Paddy Power TV ad starred Rhodri Giggs, brother of Manchester United football star Ryan Giggs, and made oblique references to allegations that Ryan had an affair with his sister-in-law, Rhodri’s wife.
The campaign featured Rhodri Giggs as an ambassador for the Paddy Power Rewards Club. In the ad Giggs says, “Loyalty gets you nowhere. Live for rewards instead.”
The UK Advertising Standards Association said the ad “created the impression that Rhodri was no longer defined by the alleged affair and that he had moved past his ‘loyalty’ and was now reaping the rewards. The ad implied viewers should follow his example, and that their route to doing so was joining Paddy Power’s Rewards Club. We considered the ad implied that gambling is a way to financial security and improved self-image.”
Paddy Power defended the ad, saying that Giggs was not shown betting and that the car, with the vanity plate “Ambassador Car,” was not obtained through betting.
The William Hill ad, seen on the dating app Tinder, was banned for linking gambling to sexual success, according to multiple reports. The March 11 message read, “Stuck in the friend zone? You won’t be for much longer if you use this Cheltenham free bet offer,” followed by a link to the William Hill app.
The ad said customers who signed up would “enter into a relationship with William Hill,” not a person, but the company acknowledged that the ad could be interpreted differently. “We take on board what the ASA have said about this particular advert and have removed it from circulation,” William Hill stated.
Clergyman Dr. Alan Smith, who has campaigned for tighter regulation of gaming ads, said “I have been left speechless by this desperate type of advertising. The gambling industry’s approach to self-regulation appears farcical as more of these adverts are exposed. I fear some betting firms are now operating under a ‘don’t get caught’ mentality.
“The ASA’s robust action should be a wake-up call to the industry.”
The ASA also banned a tweet by the Tottenham Hotspur football club to its 3.36 million followers for featuring young players Harry Winks and Davinson Sánchez alongside a betting promotion for William Hill. The players are under the age of 25, which is forbidden in gambling ads.
