Bookmaker Paddy Power has been forced to withdraw an advertising campaign featuring Jesus and the apostles gambling at the Last Supper following a deluge of complaints.
The billboard posters, emblazoned with the slogan "There's a place for fun and games", adapted Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting of the event to show Jesus with a stack of poker chips and other apostles playing cards and roulette.
The Advertising Standards Authority said today it had received more than 100 complaints - "as many as we've had about anything in the past".
Another 100 objections were made directly to Paddy Power.
Frank Goodman, chief executive of the Advertising Standards Authority, said the adverts had breached a combination of guidelines referring to taste and decency as well as religion. "There's also a general provision that ads should contain nothing that is likely to cause grave or widespread offence - this apparently has caused widespread offence," he said.
An unrepentant Paddy Power took down its Last Supperposters around Dublin and replaced them with ones reading: "There's a place for fun and games. Apparently this isn't it."
The firm's spokesman, also called Paddy Power, said the campaign was intended to play off "the unique Irish sense of humour" and expressed disappointment at the decision.
"We still don't believe we've pushed the boundaries too far," he said. "Some people just take this stuff too seriously," he added.
