The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has reprimanded Irish bookmaker Boylesports for depicting a bonus incentive attached to an image of a hand nailed to a crucifix.
The UK advertising watchdog declared that the bonus which was emailed to the operator’s player base the day before Eater Sunday was likely to have caused “serious offence”.
The promotion additionally carried the tagline ‘Boylesports Gaming ‘Nail On Bonus’. UK marketing news sources report that a Boylesports customer had complained to the Authority stating that the campaign ‘mocked Christianity at a significant time of its religious year’.
Defending its marketing team, Boylesports reiterated that the campaign imagery did not display an Christian or religious symbolism.
ASA officials however upheld the compliant against the campaign stating that the context of the promotion was referring to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in particular.
“We considered the offence was likely to be particularly strongly felt by those of the Christian faith at Easter, when the imagery would have a particularly strong resonance. We considered that the ad was likely to cause serious offence and concluded that it was therefore in breach of the Code,” concluded the watchdog.
Boylesports marketing confirmed that the advertising promotion would not appear again in its current form
Source: SBC News
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