Betfair on the wrong side of the ASA

A complaint challenging a Betfair TV advertisement has been upheld by the UK Advertising Standards Authority.

The advert claimed that Betfair was better priced than William Hill, Paddy Power and Betfred 30 minutes prior to the start of Channel 4 live races in September which the complainant challenged as he understood those three bookmakers offered a “Best Odds Guarantee”.

Betfair and Clearcast backed the claim saying the mechanics underpinning the claim had been agreed some time ago and had been used by Betfair in a number of different ads since that time. They were satisfied that the comparison being made was fair and meaningful and pointed out that the ad did not make an absolute “better prices” claim. They said the nature of the comparison was clear and unambiguous and that it allowed viewers to satisfy themselves as to whether Betfair would offer them a better price than the named competitors on whatever event they wanted to bet on.

The ASA considered that the prices were of limited relevance in relation to the other bookmakers, which could pay out at better odds than those used in the comparison and determined the advert was likely to mislead viewers saying it may not be shown in its current form again.

Related and similar