A radio ad for Betfair, heard on Radio X on 3 September 2024, promoted Prize Pinball in their online casino, a complainant challenged whether the ad had been inappropriately scheduled at a time when children could hear it.

PPB Entertainment Ltd t/a Betfair said the ad was cleared by Radiocentre prior to broadcast and the ad was scheduled in accordance with their guidance that the ad should not run on stations aimed towards under-18s.

They considered the demographic of the radio channel when scheduling the ad; they highlighted that Radio X featured current and classic rock, indie and alternative music for 25 to 44-year-olds, and that 88 percent of the audience were aged over 25 according to third-party market research data. 

In addition to that, they programmatically targeted the ad to listeners who were aged 25 or over. They explained, by doing that, it meant the ad was only targeted to listeners who were registered as 25 or older on their mobile phone or device.

They confirmed that the ad was not broadcast on linear radio and the individual who heard the ad would have been registered as over 25. They explained whilst it was possible that children could have heard the ad, they would have only been able to hear the ad on Radio X by listening to a device that was logged in with a registered age of 25 or over.

The RAJAR figures showed that the under-18 segment comprised a low proportion of the audience at the time the ad was broadcast; specifically, that 6 percent were under the age of 18. We also understood, typically, that a large proportion, 88 percent, of Radio X listeners were over the age of 25. We considered that the scheduling advice given by Radiocentre was appropriate and that, given the low proportion of under-18s listening, it had been applied responsibly by the broadcasters.

The ASA investigated the ad under BCAP Code Rules 1.2 (Social Responsibility) and 32.3 (Scheduling) but did not find it in breach.