Betfred disagrees with the ASA’s ruling that interviews published on X breach advertising rules to minors. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
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A series of messages posted by gambling operator Betfred on X (formerly Twitter) featuring boxer Anthony Joshua has been banned for breaching gambling advertising rules. The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) concluded that posts from March and April attracted underage people, something the operator disagrees with.
He claimed that the interviews were editorial, not advertising
Betfred conducted interviews with the boxer discussing his diet and preparation for a fight, as well as what he thinks about before stepping into the ring. The gambling operator posted separate clips on X ahead of the 34-year-old’s fight against Jermaine Franklin. She claimed that the interviews were editorial and not advertising.
Strict rules
The ASA has strict rules in place regarding the advertising practices of operators licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. The organization updated its rules last year to provide more clarity to operators. One major change was that advertisements that were in any way related to youth culture were not allowed on television, online or radio.
Anthony Joshua is one of the most famous boxers in the UK, with nearly 16 million followers on Instagram. About 6% of those followers are underage, as are a large percentage of his Snapchat followers. The ASA believes the number was large enough for Joshua to be considered attractive to underage people.
The ASA tagged the tweets through the use of an artificial intelligence (AI) search tool.
Because boxing matches can typically only be watched on pay-per-view — which can only be purchased by people who are at least 18 years old — and because the matches are held in the late hours, the sport is “oriented toward adults,” Betfred said. The operator also noted that as the Watford native is nearing the end of his career, he is less attractive to youngsters.
Betfred disagrees
The two parties eventually disagreed over the matter, with the ASA instructing Betfred not to run the offending ads again in their current form and not to use celebrities who might attract underage people in future campaigns.
A Betfred spokesperson confirmed that the operator remains committed to not attracting young people with its advertising and noted that it had not accompanied any member of the public to the ASA over Joshua’s content. It plans to seek “an independent review of this unfair decision.”
