Betfair forced to withdraw two posters after ASA ruling

Betfair Limited has been ordered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to withdraw two of its advertising posters due to unfounded claims made within them. The posters claimed that Betfair provided a ‘40 percent better starting price’ for horseracing wagers, a statistic that was challenged by pressure group Straight Statistics.

Betfair stated that it wanted to inform consumers that the returns available on its starting price were 40 percent better on average when they were compared to the industry standard. It also said it did not mean to claim that it could guarantee its customers returns 40 percent higher than the UK average.

It submitted its results to the ASA to prove that as from December 2007, when it launched its own starting price, a gambler would have won 41 percent more with a £10 stake on each winning horse compared to the industry standard.

But the ASA disagreed, stating that the claim had not been qualified, even though the comparison between starting prices was accurate. This led to the ruling that Betfair could not show the posters again.

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