The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a Paddy Power promotion that offered to refund losing bets on a football match between Liverpool and Manchester United if Luiz Suarez scored a goal, on the grounds that the ad was socially irresponsible because Suarez was under 25.

The promotion featured in an ad in The Sun on 15 October 2011 with the headline: "Money-back if Suarez scores. Liverpool V Man Utd. If Suarez scores we'll refund losing bets".

The UK Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing Practice (the CAP Code) says ads for gambling services should not feature those under 25 years of age gambling or playing a significant role.

Paddy Power and News International argued that because Suarez was the subject of the bet, he was not playing a significant role in relation to the act of gambling. The ASA disagreed, ruling that “because he was pictured individually and was the focus of the ad, he was likely to be seen by consumers to be playing a significant role.”

Meanwhile, MyCityDeals, which trades as Groupon, has had yet another complaint upheld against it by the ASA. This time, the group buying website was rapped for a lack of clarity in a promotion for cheap flights. Groupon is currently the subject of an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading into its business practices.