Watchdog Bans Annette Obrestad Poker Ad in UKAdvertising Standards Authority in UK Bans Betfair Advert as “Irresponsible” |
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The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) today banned a Betfair email ad featuring Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad, concluding it was, “…likely to have particular appeal to children and young people, and that, by representing a successful young poker player with the implication she was 15 years old, it could encourage young people to gamble and was therefore irresponsible.”
The text on the ad said, “Online experience is measured in games, not years. Join the new breed, Annette Obrestad – “Annette_15”.
The ad watchdog received at least one complaint about the ad which objected that the ad was irresponsible because it might encourage children and young people to gamble.
In response to the complaint Betfair said they did not target their marketing at under 18-year-olds and that Obrestad was featured in the ad not because of her age but because of her standing as a poker professional and champion who had had a profound effect on the game.
The company also said Obrestad would not be used again in advertising campaigns aimed at UK consumers and its marketing department had been fully briefed on this.
In ruling, ASA said, “We considered that Ms. Obrestad’s online handle in the ad, “Annette_15”, together with text stating “ONLINE EXPERIENCE IS MEASURED IN GAMES, NOT YEARS”, implied that Ms. Obrestad was even younger than she was (aged 20).
“The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Betfair to ensure that no one who was, or seemed to be, under 25 years old appeared gambling or playing a significant role in their ads going forward.”
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