A “degrading” and “exploitative” Pulsebet TV commercial has been pulled by Ad Standards following complaints of sexism.

Amused Australia, which owns the wagering company, was forced to remove the campaign that depicted a woman winking and biting her finger as a voice-over says: “I know what gets guys super excited”. In response, a man says: “Um… obviously, it’s Pulsebet”.

Another version of the same ad featured former NRL player and PulseBet brand ambassador Beau Ryan gesturing both hands to his groin when he says “the doggies”, referencing greyhound racing.

The complainant/s claimed the advertisement is exploitative and degrading of women and highly sexualised.

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“This ad with extremely sexual content is so sickeningly outdated…to see a lady looking like a prostitute is so unnecessary,” the complainant argued.

They raised that the government has invested significant resources in challenging harmful sexist viewpoints, such as those that denigrate women and contribute to domestic violence.

“That is a big social issue now, resulting in murders. [This] advert helps undermine and poison the foundational think[ing] of females and boys and men.”

They also noted the “extremely disgusting” advertisement aired during the day when children are likely to be watching TV.

Ad Standards reviewed the case and determined that it did portray sexual appeal that is exploitative, and the woman was “depicted as an object or commodity”.

As a result, Amused Australia was found to have breached Section 2.2 of the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Code of Ethics, which states: ‘Advertising shall not employ sexual appeal in a manner which is exploitative or degrading of any individual or group of people.’

However, Amuse Australia refuted these claims, with case report documents revealing: “The female model is not being objectified. To the extent that the advertisement may be seen to employ any sexual appeal within the first 5 seconds, it is extremely modest and in line with prevailing community standards.”

It was determined the advertisement did not breach Section 2.4 of the code: ‘Advertising shall treat sex, sexuality and nudity with sensitivity to the relevant audience.’

The panel ruled that the advertisement did not contain nudity or depict sex. While, in the initial scene, the woman’s clothing can’t be seen, the following scene shows the straps to her top or dress.

The advertisement was deemed not to be “overtly sexual” and “did treat the issues of sex, sexuality and nudity with sensitivity to the relevant audience”.

Last year, Amused Group were fined over $13,000 for sending a gambling promotion to 772 people who had opted out of receiving communication. 

The email, which came from BetNation, said it would accept bets of up to $1,000 on a horse running in the Melbourne Cup.