BetVictor caught in ASA crosshairs over Facebook ad featuring Barcelona players
Despite the operator’s protests, the advertising watchdog deems Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba ‘star’ players with appeal among under-18s
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has targeted BetVictor after the operator posted a paid-for Facebook ad featuring Barcelona stars Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
The ASA established that the ad included sports personalities who were likely to have a strong appeal to under-18s, and therefore it was in breach of the code relating to non-broadcast advertising and direct promotional marketing (CAP Code).
The ad, which was posted on Facebook in January, featured Alba and Busquets with image text that read: “Who is the most underrated player at the club you support?” The BetVictor logo and “BetVictor” featured in the top corner of the ad.
However, BetVictor contested the challenge from the ASA on multiple counts, including the fact the company had procedures in place to ensure its advertising did not breach the advertising code.
The Gibraltar-headquartered firm argued that while Barcelona was a top-flight team, it did not necessarily mean its players were well known in the UK.
The operator also said it considered Alba and Busquets to be “medium risk” players for advertising purposes, given their defensive positions, minimal press coverage and lack of games against Premier League teams.
BetVictor highlighted that neither player had a high-value, personal sponsorship deal with any major brand known in the UK, nor did their social media profiles have a strong following with minors.
Additionally, BetVictor said that it understood why the ASA considered the post an ad because it was paid-for, but claimed it was “designed to engage people in conversation about topics they would be interested in”.
The operator further defended the post by clarifying that there were no comments, links or calls to action or any logos in the post other than its own, and that the ad had been appropriately controlled to specifically target the over-25s, with data from Facebook showing that 100% of the post’s viewers were indeed over the age of 25.
However, despite these rebuttals from BetVictor, the ASA upheld the challenge and concluded the ad was “irresponsible” and breached CAP Code.
The regulator informed the privately owned operator that the ad must not appear again in its current form and that any amended version or future posts must not include persons or characters possessing strong appeal to under-18s.
The ASA said the fact both players had won the Champions League and multiple La Liga titles, as well as appearing for the Spanish national team at the World Cup and European Championships, meant they were “star” footballers and therefore had appeal among minors.
The regulator acknowledged the ad would have been acceptable had it appeared on a platform where under-18s could be entirely excluded.
Felix Faulkner, solicitor at Poppleston Allen, said: “Previous rulings have made clear that current Premier League players are out of bounds but that there is a case to be made for using retired players in some circumstances. This latest ruling takes us a step further and suggests any player in a major overseas league, particularly those playing for the big clubs, is a risky choice for gambling operators.
“Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, the two players in question, are not the biggest of names, as was evidenced by Bet Victor’s research. However, the ASA has taken a hard line and determined that they still fall into the ‘high risk’ category,” he added.