The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that a tweet by Ladbrokes, which included popular internet star, Jake Paul, violated the UK’s regulations by appealing to Under 18’s.
Ladbrokes violated the age restriction regulation through their original tweet, which included an image of the internet sensation/professional boxer, Jake Paul. After the American’s boxing match against Love Island star, Tommy Furry.
Paul has amassed a huge following across each social media platform, from posting short clips on vine, to building an audience om YouTube that is now over 20 million subscribers. Due to the demographic of these sites, the ASA has concluded that the original post violated UK regulations.
Ladbrokes were adamant that the tweet had no direct link to the site and that the Twitter account was inaccessible for those under the age of 18. Additionally, the betting site claimed that according to CAP guidance, boxing is a sport that isn’t of ‘moderate or high risk in terms of appeal to under-18’s.’
After analysing the tweet, the ASA said: “We considered that boxing was an adult-oriented sport and one that had low appeal to under-18s. We also considered that Jake Paul would primarily be known for making YouTube videos and that he had a large social media following. We acknowledged that he had within the last few years turned to boxing.”
“However, because of his career on YouTube, we considered that he had a high profile within the sport and was well known outside of the sport and social media. Across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Twitter, Jake Paul had over 65 million followers. On YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, around three million people were registered as under 18 on each of those platforms.”
The punishment for braking these rules and regulations is still unclear, however, Jake Paul is set to face UFC star, Nate Diaz and is unlikely to appear on Ladbrokes’ social media.
