OFCOM Chastises Channel 4 Racing

Following several complaints from viewers Channel 4 Racing was rebuked by the British broadcasting regulator OFCOM for "overly prompting a betting offer from sponsor Ladbrokes". During the St Leger Festival 2012 on the Channel 4 programme Racing, a money back promotional offer on a GBP 20 stake was explained by David Williams, a Ladbrokes representative, as an on-screen caption that appeared as saying "LADBROKES ST LEGER Money Back from the sponsors if Camelot loses". Explaining the coverage Channel 4 said at the time its production team had considered the offer to be "a significant development within the betting market" but later on "the delivery of the item was not appropriate". The incident was ruled as a breach of Rule 9.5 of the Code by OFCOM which called the references unduly prominent.