The offending spot shows a young man playing the game in his partner\u2019s parents\u2019 home while surrounded by family members.<\/p>\n
He is briefly interrupted by his partner\u2019s mother, an attractive sexagenarian, who brings him a drink. He glances up from the game to thank her before returning to the screen.<\/p>\n
With Paddy Power\u2019s Wonder Wheel, you get a free spin with a chance to win cash prizes every single day,\u201d <\/strong>proclaims a voiceover.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nAt this point. the man\u2019s partner asks him, \u201cDo you think I will end up looking like my mum?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope so,\u201d he replies, distracted by his phone, before suddenly realizing his slip.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, no matter how badly you stuff it [mess up],\u201d resumes the voiceover, \u201cyou\u2019ll always get another chance with Paddy Power games.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man goes back to looking at his phone.<\/p>\n
\u2018Tactless Communication\u2019<\/h2>\n
The comedic merit of the spot was not up for debate, although it is not one of Paddy Power\u2019s finest moments.<\/p>\n
Instead, the ASA\u2019s remit was to decide whether it irresponsibly encouraged repeat gambling and implied that betting was more important than family interaction.<\/p>\n
The ASA said it recognized the ad was light-hearted in tone. But it added most viewers would understand that the protagonist \u201cbehaved in a way which was not appropriate at a family event because he was distracted by gambling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe considered that the girlfriend\u2019s shocked expression in response to his answer supported the assumption that he would not ordinarily be so tactless in his communication,\u201d said the watchdog.<\/p>\n
Although we accepted it was a brief moment, because we considered most viewers would understand that distraction caused by gambling had caused an embarrassing gaffe at a family event, and therefore concluded that the ad portrayed gambling as taking priority in life over family,\u201d it determined.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Paddy Power argued that because Wonder Wheel<\/em> is a free game, where players get one free spin per day, the ad was not promoting any real-money gambling game.<\/p>\nIt fell on deaf ears. The ASA ruled the spot must not appear again in its current form, although it is still mysteriously viewable on YouTube.<\/p>\n
Money-Back if He Walks<\/h2>\n
The ad is mild by Paddy Power standards. The company has a long history of employing shock-marketing tactics<\/a>. But this has been tempered lately by an impending regulatory clampdown in the UK, and it does not want to rock the boat.<\/p>\nThe company holds the record for the ASA\u2019s all-time most-complained-about advertisement. In 2014, during the Oscar Pretorius murder trial, Paddy Power offered odds on the result, plus a \u201cmoney back if he walks\u201d promotion.<\/strong><\/p>\nParalympian sprinter Pretorius was born without feet because of a congenital defect and used prosthetic limbs to run. He was ultimately convicted of the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, and sentenced to 15 years in prison.<\/p>\n
In 2016, the company advertised its odds on the US election by asking, \u201cIs orange the new black?\u201d<\/p>\n
Watch the ad below and judge for yourself.<\/p>\n