A Sky Bet ad banned for being irresponsible because it implied that those with a good knowledge of sport were likely to be successful in gambling has been overturned.

The ad features Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling, who asked: “How big is your sports noggin?” and said: “Spark your sports brain.

Sky Bet told ad watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority that the references were to do with “knowledge to build a bet using the Sky Bet Request a Bet feature”.

The brand also referred to another line in the ad that said: “In sports, anything can happen.” This, Sky Bet said, made it clear that there was no guarantee of outcome.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld two complaints about the ad in March, ruling that it placed strong emphasis on the role of sports knowledge in determining betting success and warning Sky Bet to ensure in future that its ads did not condone or encourage gambling behaviour that was socially irresponsible.

However it has now reversed the decision following an independent review, saying it did not consider that the ad irresponsibly exaggerated the role of sports knowledge in successful betting.