Online gambling company Unibet took down an advertisment after the Ad Standards Panel found it was in breach of codes.
The commercial depicted a man holding a sign: “Cashing Out is for Pussies”
A complaint said the ad: “Encourages gambling without recognising limits, not in keeping with the message of gambling responsibly.”
Unibet responded: “Unibet considers that the language used in the advertisement was merely puffery, i.e. exaggerated marketing language that is not expected to be treated seriously or taken literally.
“The overall tone of the advertisement is tongue-in-cheek and considering the context of the Reddit audiences, the language used in the advertisement is appropriate to the relevant audience and unlikely to be taken seriously or encourage excess participation or pressure to wager.”
However, the panel determined that the advertisement did breach Section 2.9 of the Wagering Code and Section 2.1 of the Code of Ethics, as the ad depicted material in a way which discriminates against a person or section of the community on account of gender.
The panel stated that “most members of the community would interpret a phrase such as 'don’t be a pussy' to mean something like – don’t be weak, don’t be a chicken, don’t be soft, don’t be (a man who acts like) a woman.
“The panel noted that whether or not this interpretation was intended, most members of the community would find the phrase to be disparaging towards women by suggesting that they are weak, timid, soft or lesser than men.
“The panel considered that the advertisement does treat women unfairly and less favourably and does incite contempt and ridicule of women by promoting a negative stereotype that women are lesser than men and are soft, weak or cowardly.”
Unibet discontinued the ad.
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