The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) has upheld a complaint from the GPA over the use of images of three well-known Gaelic footballers without their permission by bookmaker Paddy Power.

The players' body made the complaint on behalf of two Dublin players and one Mayo player, whose images appeared in an advertisement in a racecard at The Curragh a week before last year's All-Ireland final.

The Sunday Times reports that Paddy Power contested the complaint, citing the fact they paid a fee to the sports agency that own the copyright on the images, and their advertisement was for a product that concerned the subject, namely Gaelic football betting markets. However, the watchdog upheld the complaint, with the GPA deciding not to seek any compensation.

"We've spent a hell of a lot of time and invested a lot of money and resources in educating players on gambling. That was why our stance was particularly strong on this one," the GPA's financial controller Matt Hoban said.

A similar issue arose three years ago when the GPA accused Paddy Power of exploiting players after the betting company carried out a survey in which it asked 1,000 American females to pick the 100 hottest GAA stars.

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