Online betting agency forced to dump TV ad for promoting excessive gambling

Australia’s newest online bookmaker, Neds, will stop running one of its ads on free-to-air TV ahead of the Melbourne Cup after the commercial was found to breach advertising codes by encouraging excessive gambling.

Despite the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) finding, the ad can continue to run across social-media platforms, pay TV, and as corporate videos.

Neds started up in Australia two months ago and is the brainchild of Dean Shannon, the founder of betting website Bookmaker and the former chief executive of Ladbrokes’ Australian business.

The ASB has received numerous complaints about Neds’ “It’s Time to Bet” commercials, which have been broadcast on free-to-air TV and on social media.

Complaints range from the ads being sexist and degrading to women, promoting gambling as normal and funny, and condoning lying and deceit in order to gamble.

In one ad, a man lies to his family and sneaks away from a dinner to place bets. In another, a group of tradesmen sit around making excuses not to work so they can bet online.

One complaint stated the ad was “shown when children could be watching and I feel it is misleading and deceptive about what is acceptable behaviour”.

The ASB ruled the ad showing the tradesmen contravened the Wagering Advertising and Marketing Code by encouraging excessive gambling.

While noting it intended to be funny, the board found the humour “did not negate the portrayal of gambling taking priority in men’s lives”, and found “it’s portraying excessive participation in wagering activities”.

Neds agreed to withdraw the infringing ad from free-to-air TV in its current form from midday on November 4.

The ASB did not uphold the complaints of discrimination, ruling that while sections of the advertisement were disrespectful towards women, they were not discriminatory.