Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has been criticised for a message it posted on social media website Twitter prior to yesterday’s (Monday) English Premier League top-tier football match between Liverpool and Newcastle United.
The bookmaker’s tweet read “Newcastle have suffered more Kop beatings over the last 20 years than an unarmed African-American male”, with the words accompanied by a picture of Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.
The message was intended to generate interest in Paddy Power’s various betting markets for the game, but instead attracted criticism from users of the social media website.
The tweet is the latest in a long line of Paddy Power campaigns that have provoked a backlash from members of the public.
Last year, the bookmaker was criticised for an advert that promoted betting markets for the outcome of a trial in which South African athlete Oscar Pistorius was accused of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
According to data from the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority, the advert attracted more complaints than any other in 2014.
source : www.igamingbusiness.com
