According to regulators, the ad aired on behalf of Sportsbet, made it look like success in gambling was somehow linked to sexual desirability and attractiveness. The regulator argued that Sportsbet had implied a “link between wagering and sexual success or enhanced attractiveness.”
I’ve Bet Sexy and I Know It
In the ad in question, a man on a couch is staring at his phone. Suddenly, he daydreams about a place where he is dressed up in a slick tuxedo with a beautiful woman on his arm. He is then awarded the “Most Outstanding Same Game Multi,” with the crowd erupting and cheering him on, as he delivers a passionate acceptance speech.
He even thanks the “anytime goal scorers,” a betting slang. According to the Ad Standards panel, this ad violated the established Wagering Code across a number of sections. Sportsbet has riposted and said that the advertisement was meant as a fictional analogy, and not intended to convince sports fans that they would increase their sexual success or desirability by placing winning bets.
Ad Standards disagreed with the defense and argued that the original argument still was true – the man’s sexual attractiveness was “enhanced” one way or the other, and because of what the regulator added the ad made it look like successful betting patterns.
Fictional Analogy Not to Be Taken Literally
Sportsbet has still insisted that the ad did not breach any advertisement rules but has complied with Ad Standards’ request to discontinue the ad temporarily. In the meantime, the company has called on an independent review to assess whether the ruling is indeed fair. The latest move against an advertisement ad in Australia comes at a particularly interesting time in the country.
Presently, Australians are becoming more opposed to gambling advertisements, with an increasing number of customers arguing that they dislike gambling advertisements more than they do seeing ads about tobacco or alcohol. The majority of Australians would be happy to see gambling ads gone.
Other consumer protection measures have been recently introduced, with the suspense of credit cards finally taking shape. The measures have been long overdue according to critics but it’s finally happening to strengthen the Gambling Act 2001.