Aussie Online Bookie Neds

The new Australian online bookie Ned’s has found itself in hot water yet again, receiving its third telling off since launching just a few months ago. Australia has very strict, some would day overly strict gambling advertising laws and when an Aussie online bookmaker oversteps the mark it comes down on the quickly, as was the case recently.

The new Neds bookmaker advert shows a guy stepping into an elevator and pressing the buttons so that it stops on every floor. As the elevator rises, the guys grabs his phone and starts taking a look at the Neds odds on the racing and the sports betting, with the tagline ‘It’s Time to Bet’ being shown at the same time, and Australian government are having none of that.

This ad breaks the law in that it’s seen to be encouraging excessive gambling and while most will see the ad as just a bit of fun, the regulators don’t, and for the second time in as many weeks they’ve told Neds to pull the advert. The first ad to be removed showed a group of builders placing their bets and generally enjoying all that Neds offers...instead of actually doing their jobs, and again, the powers that be didn’t think that was fair game.

Since launching Neds bookies have released a total of 5 ads, with each one of them being the subject of numerous complaints however only 2 have been banned and for a marketing perspective it appears they’re going down the Paddy Power route, pushing the boundaries of acceptability to the limits, and while most see no harm in it, those Aussie regulators who are a tough bunch to please, will no doubt be keeping an eye on future activity.