Adam Roarty Editor
Adam Roarty is a journalist covering sports betting, regulation, and industry innovation for CasinoBeats. His coverage includes tax increases in the UK, covering breaking stories in the ever-evolving landscape of US betting such as the...
Read Full BioIreland’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned two ads from the gambling company Tonybet, including one that runs with the tagline, “Make money while sitting on the toilet.”
The ASA ruled that the statement “had strongly indicated that gambling would be a source of income, and encouraging such a belief could lead to financial harm.”
Tonybet ran the ad on YouTube but has been ordered to remove it. It showed a man sitting on the toilet while using his phone. The full tagline stated, “Only 3% of people can do this. Make money while sitting on the toilet.“
The gambling platform claimed that “human error” had caused the ad to appear. The company said the advertising material was not submitted for compliance review, and marketing guidance was not followed.
It blamed a third-party marketing agency for producing and uploading the ad, but it is not the first time the company has featured a toilet in its advertising. Another commercial featuring former soccer player Tony Cascarino has the ex-Ireland international rushing home, then sitting on his toilet to open the Tonybet casino.
Baby Ad Also Removed
The company also attributed “human error” and a lack of compliance checks for another ad that incurred the wrath of the ASA. The commercial, also shown on YouTube, featured a woman holding a baby with the tagline, “It’s hard to pay my rent and take care of my babies,” followed by, “But I made $8,500 last month.”
The ASA similarly ruled that the ad encourages the belief that gambling can be a source of income, which could cause financial harm. It ordered Tonybet not to show the commercial again.
Other gambling ads banned in the UK and Ireland in the past include commercials that were deemed to appeal to minors. Last year, the UK’s ASA ruled that ads featuring Lewis Hamilton, ex-soccer player Gary Neville, and the Chelsea FC logo fell foul of its guidelines.
Kalshi Ads Attract Complaints
In the US, ads for the prediction market Kalshi that claim trading on the platform can be a source of income have also been the subject of complaints.
One TikTok ad that ran with the tagline, “POV: I was about to be unable to pay my rent, but I got two years of rent through Kalshi’s predictions. It’s amazing!”
The ad was highlighted in a lawsuit against Kalshi, claiming the platform is tricking users into engaging in unlicensed gambling.
In Ireland, this would clearly break the country’s advertising guidelines, which state, “marketing communications for gambling should not portray, condone or encourage gambling behaviour that is socially irresponsible or could lead to financial, social or emotional harm”.
Irish-based gambling company PaddyPower has frequently fallen foul of the ASA’s rules, including one ad that ran with the tagline, “money back if he walks,” in relation to Oscar Pistorius’ murder trial. The Flutter-owned gambling operator offered to refund any losing bets on the trial if Pistorius was found not guilty.
The company’s founder, also named Paddy Power, defended the campaign, which appeared in newspapers, stating, “We are not offering (betting) on it not because it is a murder trial, we are offering odds because it is a huge global event which just happens to be a murder trial.”
The ad attracted 5,525 complaints, more than any other promotion, when it ran in 2014.
