An advert for betting firm Paddy Power has been banned by the UK advertising watchdog for encouraging repetitive gambling and portraying it as taking priority over family.
The advertisement, shown across TV and online in March 2022, featured a man sitting in a living room with his girlfriend while playing one of the firm's betting games on his phone. When his girlfriend asks, "Do you think I'll end up looking like my mum?", he responds without thinking, still staring at his phone. The narrator then states: "So no matter how badly you stuff it up, you'll always get another chance with Paddy Power games."
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld three complaints about the ad, ruling that it "encouraged repetitive gambling" and "portrayed gambling as taking priority in life, over family". Complainants said the man was so preoccupied with gambling that it led him to make an "inappropriate remark".
Paddy Power defended the ad, arguing that it implied a "commitment to family life" by depicting a traditional family setting and was intended to be "light-hearted". However, the company accepted the ASA's decision and said it would "consider its broader guidance moving forwards".
Clearcast, which clears adverts for broadcast in the UK, also accepted the ruling and said it would take the guidance into consideration for future gambling ads. The decision is part of a wider ASA campaign to clamp down on socially irresponsible advertising, particularly in the gambling sector.
