Rap on the knuckles for Paddy Power

Bookmakers Paddy Power have received a rap on the knuckles from the British Advertising Standards Authority after the bookie ran a full page ad in the press offering odds on which airline will go bust next. Under the headline "Booked a flight ? Don't sweat, insure with Paddy Power" odds were being offered ranging from 3/1 for FlyGlobespan and 4/1 for Spanair all the way up to BA and Ryanair at 100/1. 

The ASA received a complaint claiming that the ad denigrated the airlines concerned, implying that they might go into administration. In their defence, Paddy Power argued that they were bowing to customer demands and had been asked for odds after several high profile airline failures. They also claimed that a £200 maximum bet per customer would also make it difficult for customers to manipulate the markets perception of a particular airline. The ASA upheld the complaint however on the basis that the ad suggested that the named airlines, especially those with the shortest odds might go into administration and that this unfairly discredited the airlines concerned.