Three Betfred tweets taken down by the ASA
The ASA has recently ordered the takedown of three of Betfred’s promoted tweets.
The promoted posts in question featured videos of prominent boxer Anthony Joshua and related to one of his at the time upcoming fights. The videos used in these tweets were short clips of various interviews the athlete took part in and were promoted by the operator in the spring of this year.
The ASA called into question the posts’ appeal among minors, challenging whether they included a person who was likely to have a sizable following of under-18s. The operator responded to the authority’s inquiry, stating that it carried out a thorough assessment to ensure its compliance with the country’s advertising laws. Betfred mentioned that the posts in question did not promote any gambling offerings, had an editorial nature, and were targeted at only 25-year-old and older users.
The firm also mentioned that Joshua’s social media accounts could only be followed by people aged 18 or above and that he has not held a championship title in two years. The company added that the athlete is reaching the end of his career and that he is almost exclusively known for his sports achievements. Moreover, Betfred further added that according to the country’s CAP guidelines, boxing is considered to be a low-risk sport in terms of appealing to minors.
The ASA decided to order the takedown of the posts, citing that notable people in adult-oriented sports who have a sizable social media presence are considered to have a moderate risk of appealing to young people. Having held among the most championship titles in boxing in the period from 2016 to 2021 and having been ranked as one of the sport’s top 10 athletes, the ASA considered Joshua to be one of the most notable athletes in boxing. Additionally, he has close to 30 million followers across all of his social media accounts, further solidifying his celebrity status.