Sportsbet breaches Ad Standards code for making gambling look sexy
Online gambling service Sportsbet was found in breach of The Wagering Code by Ad Standards over a free-to-air TV ad, which was said to “imply a link between wagering and sexual success or enhanced attractiveness”.
The video in question depicted a man on a couch looking at his phone, then transitioned into him being in an award ceremony wearing a tuxedo.
Screenshots from the ad
He subsequently won the award of “Most Outstanding Same Game Multi”. The crowd cheers and applauds and he gives an acceptance speech thanking his anytime goal scorers.
The ad was found by the Ad Standards panel to be in breach of Section 2.5 of The Wagering Code, among dismissed claims against two other Sections.
Sportsbet insisted that the ad was “clearly a fictional analogy” and made no reference or element that links wagering with sexual success or enhanced attractiveness.
However, Ad Standards ruled it to be in breach of the Code because the man was shown to have a transformation in his appearance, which suggested that “his attractiveness has been enhanced as a result of his win”.
In response, Sportsbet has called for an independent review of the Community Panel’s determination but has suspended the ad’s distribution in the meantime.
Last month, Foxtel’s sports streaming service Kayo was also found to breach the gambling ad rule by ACMA, which stated that gambling ads must not be streamed during live sports events between 5am and 8.30pm.
This came after more than half of Australians said they would support a ban on wagering advertising across broadcast channels before 10.30pm in March.
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Darcy Song was a reporter at Mumbrella, covering media owners, adtech and social platforms. She left in October 2023.
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