If you worked at Neds, Australia’s newest online gambling operator, you might not think twice about hitting every button on an elevator in an effort to grab a little extra quality time with this week’s odds. If you worked at the Australian Standards Bureau (ASB), however, you might look at that slick move as promoting excessive gambling.
This little cautionary tale played out last week in the Land Down Under as the ASB spanked Neds for the aforementioned ad and Neds pulled the add off all its advertising platforms.
Unfortunately, this is the second time in as many weeks that Neds has come under fire for ads with the, “It’s Time to Bet Theme.” Late last month, the ASB responded to complaints from the general public that the ads were sexist; promoted gambling as a “normal” activity; and for encouraging lying.
In one of the ads, a man is shown lying to his family and sneaking out of the house during dinnertime to place bets. While Neds defended the ad as a humorous depiction of the lengths people go to in order to place a wager, the ASB thought otherwise. In their ruling, the ASB said the ad was, “shown when children could be watching and I feel it is misleading and deceptive about what is acceptable behaviour.”
Neds pulled the ad and did not receive any sanctions from the ASB as a result of its airings.
As Australia’s newest online gambling operators, Neds is wading into an incredibly competitive market and its over-the-top advertising reflects that fact. It’s a strategy that works well for UK operators like Paddy Power, but it might prove to be a bit much in Australia, where anti-gambling forces have a louder voice.