Betfair’s Controversial TV Campaign to be Stopped

ASA says Betfair's ad is misleading so it needs to be withdrawn The British Advertising Standards Authority - ASA gave a statement regarding the latest controversial TV campaign aired by the betting exchange Betfair demanding that the company stops broadcasting the ad in its current form. Reportedly, ASA received twenty-three complaints from the viewers regarding the disputable ad and subsequently looked into the case reaching the decision to ban the current version of the ad. The content of the advertisement has been assessed as misleading, as it shows two men in a pub discussing a sports match and a third man pushing between them acting as a mediator, followed by a voice-over observing "On Betfair you cut out the middle man, which means you win bigger". However, all 23 complaints found the implication in the advert that Betfair operated without a middleman incorrect and others felt it misleading as it did not explain that Betfair took commission on winning bets. ASA ordered that the ad should not be broadcast again in its current form, concluding that it breached CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code rules 5.1.1 and 5.1.2 Misleading advertising.