Anthony Joshua: Betfred’s Boxer Tweets Broke Gambling Rules, Says ASA

Anthony Joshua: Betfred’s boxer tweets broke betting guidelines, states ASA

1 November 2023

ByRiyah Collins
BBC Newsbeat

Three tweets by Betfred featuring Anthony Joshua have actually been banned for breaching gambling marketing guidelines.

the yohaig code Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) examined the posts shared in March and April promoting a fight.

It stated Joshua was most likely to strongly appeal to under-18s – which is forbidden by brand-new gaming ad rules.

Betfred, which turned down claims Joshua interested kids, called the decision “unfair” and stated it would demand an independent evaluation.

In 2015 the ASA, which regulates in the UK on TV, radio and online, updated its guidelines for promoting gambling., external

the yohaig code new guidelines state that business can not attract under-18s “by reflecting or being associated with youth culture”.

Betfred’s tweets included videos of Joshua discussing his diet, his preparation regular and his pre-fight mentality before his bout with Jermaine Franklin.

The company had argued boxing is an “adult-orientated sport” since its late-night matches are primarily streamed pay-per-view and can only be bought by over-18s.

It likewise stated the 3 tweets weren’t advertising however were “editorial” in nature.

The bookies did admit Joshua is extremely popular across social media, with 29.3 m fans worldwide, however argued they were “overwhelmingly adult”.

However, the ASA found about a countless Joshua’s 15.7 m Instagram fans were signed up as under-18, along with 82,000 of his fans on Snapchat.

The guard dog found this to be “a significant number” suggesting Joshua was “of inherent strong appeal” to a young audience.

It informed Betfred the advertisements “need to not appear again in their present type” and alerted it not to use figures who interest young people in future.

A Betfred spokesperson said the company firmly believed posting the three interviews with Joshua “in no method undermined” its commitment to preventing strong youth appeal in its marketing.

“It should likewise be kept in mind that the ASA did not receive a single complaint from a member of the public about our association with Anthony Joshua in this regard,” he included.

Sky Bet just recently had a tweet including Gary Neville prohibited for breaching the very same rules.

Although Neville’s footballing career ended in 2011, the yohaig code ASA discovered he too was likely to have a strong appeal to under-18s – something Sky Bet disagreed with.

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