Ireland’s ASA upholds Tonybet radio ad complaint
Advertising Standards Authority finds operator’s online casino ad, featuring former footballer Tony Cascarino, breached regulations
The Irish Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint made against Tonybet after a radio ad did not direct listeners to a source of information for responsible gambling (RG).
The ad, featuring former Ireland footballer Tony Cascarino, was promoting Tonybet’s online casino offering in the Emerald Isle.
Cascarino played 89 times for his country, including famously at the World Cup 1990, where the Irish team reached the quarter-finals before losing to the hosts Italy 1-0.
His voiceover on the ad said: “Don’t you just love it when things go your way? Jackpot! The days are getting longer. Jackpot! I’ve just found a fiver in my jacket.
“Jackpot! I’m still getting asked for selfies for playing in Italia 90. It’s a lucky time to be in Ireland and now you can try your luck on Ireland’s new online casino, TonyBet.com.”
A single complainant said the ad had breached the ASA’s code for not directing listeners to RG materials.
Instead, a generic voiceover once Cascarino finished speaking stated: “Over 18s only. Please gamble responsibly.”
In response to the complaint, Tonybet pulled the ad and said it went live due to “human error”, with the marketing material not submitted for an internal compliance review.
Tonybet said concerns had been raised internally with the marketing division’s management team, and that further training has been organised to “eliminate human errors in the future”.
The ASA statement read: “ wished to underline that they were fully committed to compliance with respective rules and regulations in the territory of Ireland and explained that the current advertisement launch was not a deliberate action by the company but a mistake by an employee.”
The ASA noted that it welcomed Tonybet acted fast to withdraw the ad with immediate effect but acknowledged the breach had occurred.
The watchdog added: “While noting that the advertisement did contain a message encouraging people to gamble responsibly, the committee noted that it did not include a message directing listeners to a source of information about gambling and gambling responsibly.”