ASA Says Paddy Power ‘Made Joke’ Out of Domestic Violence, Mocked Amputees

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned Irish online bookmaker from ever promoting bets on the Oscar Pistorious trial.

Some 65 complaints were considered after the controversial betting firm began taking wagers on the outcome of the paraplegic runner Pistorius’ murder trial.  The South African fatally shot his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp but claims he did so by accident out of fear an intruder had entered through a bathroom window.

The company made matters worse by featuring Pistorius as an Oscar statuette during the Academy Awards with a caption that read: “money back if he walks”. 

The ASA found that such a promotion could be seen to trivialize difficulties associated with amputees.

The betting firm did not deny the “money back if he walks” was a knock on amputees.  This reference was initially overlooked while most of the outrage was directed at the distasteful act of taking bets on a murder trial; that was until Gambling911.com brought it up during its extensive coverage of the controversy via one lone tweet.

The watchdog’s report also concluded that: “They (the complaints committee) considered it had been found to be offensive as it appeared to make light of murder and domestic violence".
 

The watchdog also received complaints simply because Paddy Power was taking bets on a murder trial.

But the ASA made it clear they can only deal with complaints about the advertisement itself.

The outcome of the Oscar Pistorius murder trial is yet to be decided.  Some have called on Paddy Power to donate all profits made from the bet to domestic violence educational and/or assistance groups.

- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com