A viewer complaint sparked a probe into television gambling ads featuring NBA star Shaquille O’Neal with a claim the advertisements portray Aussies as ‘real stupid yobbos’.
The PointsBet ads feature the basketball legend and Australian skit comedian group The Inspired Unemployed to promote the company’s Australian app.
The Ads Standards community panel launched the inquiry after complainants said they found them ‘offensive’.
In both of the ads, O’Neal asks the comedians questions regarding horse racing and AFL, with the responses sending up both Aussies and Americans.
‘It portrays the ‘Aussies’ as real stupid yobbos. I’m an Aussie too, and don’t identify as a yobbos (sic) lout like these characters are portrayed,’ read the complaint.
‘It’s offensive to my (sic) as an Australian to see my culture down like this.’
PointsBet ads featuring Shaquille O’Neal (above) sparked a consumer complaint and investigation from Ads Standards community panel
The ads featured Australian comedic group The Inspired Unemployed (above) and made fun of Australian mannerisms and American humour
One of the PointsBet ads portrays the men sitting around in a front yard while O’Neal asks: ‘How about this filly in the fifth fellas, put a $50 on it?’
‘Yeah, nah, I’d give her the old (whistles) you know? How you going, how you been? Nah, yeah, nah, yeah, yeah,’ the jokesters reply.
O’Neal then asks: ‘Is that a yes or no?’
‘Nah yep. Greys in the wet hey. Having a trot you know? (whistle) Good sort. (whistle) Came to play. You know? Up the guts. Good size. Where you going? How you been?’ the boys reply.
O’Neal then says: ‘You Aussies sure are built different’ and continues to describe the benefits of the product as the boys snack while sitting on eskies in the background.
The gambling company argued the advertisements were supposed to be ‘comical’ and ‘playful’ (above, O’Neal in the advertisement)
At the end of the ad he says, ‘You know what they call me mate? Shaqadile Dundee’.
The second O’Neal and Inspired Unemployed ad features the men in a bar as O’Neal tries to come to grips with the rules of AFL.
After the Australians shout ‘ball’, O’Neal explains the gambling app then yells at the TV: ‘Oi quarterback, get a dog up ya!’
The Australians grimace and groan before the ad concludes.
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PointsBet responded to the complaints during the inquiry saying the company ‘unquestionably believes that the advertisement is wholly compliant with all applicable codes and legislative or regulatory regimes’.
The panel ultimately dismissed the complaint which said the ads made Aussies out to be ‘yobbos’ (above, O’Neal in a PointsBet ad)
‘Australia, people, and place is known throughout the world to be uniquely different. This uniqueness is a positive trait that extends to our vernacular, places, animals and more.
‘It is a place like no other with its own peculiar take on the English language and sport. In reality, it is common that persons not familiar with Australiana struggle to understand our colloquialisms, mannerisms and the like.
‘The ad is intended to be a comical and playful take on these real to life scenarios.’
PointsBet argued the ads were in line with the humour expected of the comedy troupe who have millions of followers across social media.
Standards are stringent for sports betting ads, with prohibitions against promising wins, promoting the combination of betting and drinking, and linking betting to sexual success.
The panel agreed the ads used ‘self-deprecating humour which would be seen by many to celebrate the uniqueness of Australia’ and were satisfied the advertisements were above board.
The Ad Standards committee dismissed the case just last month, its website revealed.
‘The advertisement did not portray material in a way which discriminates against or vilifies a person or section of the community on account of age or gender,’ the panel wrote in its report.
It decided the ads didn’t breach the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Code of Ethics.
It also found the use of the expression ‘get a dog up ya’ didn’t breach its language codes either – after turning to Urban Dictionary to collect the phrase’s various uses.
‘The Panel considered that this phrase being shouted at a television while watching a sporting match was consistent with its colloquial usage, and was not inappropriate in the circumstances, nor was it strong or obscene language.’
