With Euro 2024 well underway, viewers are likely receiving a barrage of gambling advertisements across their TV and social media. Some of this year’s advertisements have been hilarious – like Paddy Power’s ‘England are my favourite’ ad.
However, as we near the 70th anniversary of TV advertisements in Britain, it’s time to wonder: what was the funniest gambling advertisement of all time? In an attempt to answer that question, Digital Whiskers narrowed down the list to the top 5 funniest ads made by UK-based gambling sites.
Whether you use UK betting sites or prefer to use casinos not on GamStop to place your bets (which you won’t see advertised in the UK, but offer players many benefits and a great selection of games), you’ve got to admit that some of these are hilarious:
- Paddy Power’s 2024 Euros Advert – This ad opens with Danny Dyer proclaiming England’s national team to be “everyone’s favourites” to win the competition. The rest of the ad makes fun of this sentiment by adding a sarcastic twist to it. For example, a Scottish fan says: “For me, they’re my favourite because of their world-renowned wit”. Dyer then proves the fan’s point by making a not-so-witty comment.The ad was originally meant to feature Boris Johnson who apparently signed a lucrative deal with the betting company earlier this year. The value of the deal was never disclosed, however, given that the former PM has a net wealth of £1.67 million, it can be assumed that the deal was significant.
- Ladbrokes’ 2012 Screaming Man – Ladbrokes truly hit the jackpot when they cast Italian commentator Tiziano Crudeli in their 2012 casino advert. Crudeli can be seen hitting the jackpot when playing a Ladbrokes casino game on his tablet. This prompts him to jump up and shout at everyone within the vicinity “I win! I win! Jackpot!”
- Coral’s 2014 Carly and Farley ad – For this sports betting ad, Coral employed UFC model Carly Baker and comedian Darren Farley to pose as burger van workers who also offer sports bets to customers. In between offering customers burgers, cheeseburgers, and fries, Farley also offers first-to-score, half-time score, and full-time score odds.
- BGO’s 2017 Beat the Boss ad – BGO released a series of ads during the 2010s starring the late Verne Troyer of the Austin Powers movies. These ads revolved around Troyer acting as a boss character and various human and animal opponents attempting to ‘beat the boss’ at poker and other casino games.
- Betway’s 2018 the Hunch ad – This advert followed a football bettor as he listened to “the hunch” in his head – “the hunch” being a team of Numbskull-like people who live inside the bettor’s head. These people calculate the best bet options, proclaiming themselves as “the experts”. Short but amusing, this advert has a real cinematic quality to it.Betway’s marketing strategies have always been inventive, fun, and, most importantly, responsible – except for an online campaign in 2021 which cost the company over £400,000 in fines.