iGaming Business – The Advertising Standards Authority Ireland (ASAI) has ruled that an advert campaign by Irish bookmaker Paddy Power featuring Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius was “offensive” after it breached several rules.
The campaign referred to the outcome of a trial in which Pistorius is accused of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in February 2013.
The advert offered the opportunity to bet on the outcome of the trial and stated punters that placed a bet could access a special money-back offer.
The advert stated: “IT’S OSCAR TIME. MONEY BACK IF HE WALKS. WE WILL REFUND ALL LOSING BETS ON THE OSCAR PISTORIUS TRIAL IF HE IS FOUND NOT GUILTY. PADDY POWER.”
The published advert featured a picture of Pistorius’s face on an Oscar statue, an image in relation to the Oscars film award ceremony that took place in the US earlier this year.
The ASAI complaint committee ruled that the image of the athlete’s face on an Oscar statuette was “offensive” as it “appeared to make light of murder and domestic violence”.
The committee also stated that the ‘money back if he walks’ reference in the advert “could be seen to trivialise the difficulties associated with disability including amputees or those with other mobility problems”.
The ASAI ruled that the advert should not be used again in any media.
The decision comes after the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority last month reached a similar conclusion over the advert, as reported by iGaming business.
