Paddy Power Censured Over “Bet on Black” Campaign

Was Paddy Power censured by the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency? Yes, over an advert featuring boxer Floyd Mayweather. First published on August 23 in the Evening Standard newspaper, the advert ran with the headline claim ‘Always Bet On Black’ alongside an image of Mayweather. Paddy Power had ran the advert informing punters that it had opted to pay out early on Mayweather to win a recent bout with mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor.

However, the reasons for Paddy Power censured by the ASA is because they say they received nine complaints about the advert, all related to a reference to Mayweather’s race, with complainants challenging if the advert was likely to cause “serious of widespread offense” as a result. In its official ruling, the ASA agreed with complainants in that the headline would be interpreted to be a pun on Mayweather’s race and some consumers could take offense to the ad.

“We considered that readers would interpret the headline to be a pun on Floyd Mayweather’s race and betting on roulette,” the ASA said. “We understood that the headline was also intended to be a reference to a 1992 film quote.

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