Marathonbet online Cheltenham ad ruled "misleading" by ASA
Free bet promotion targeting new customers banned by advertising watchdog
Marathonbet has been reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after a promotion on its website during the Cheltenham Festival was deemed “misleading”.
The operator found itself in trouble for a lack of clarification on whether a portion of winnings would be paid out in free bets for new customers, if Willie Mullins was named top trainer during the Festival at the enhanced odds stated.
The advert, seen on 9 March, displayed text stating: “NEW CUSTOMER OFFER … 2/1 WILLIE MULLINS TOP TRAINER …”.
Smaller text underneath stated: “MAX BET ?10. MINIMUM STAKE ?5. ONLY ?5 OF YOUR BET PAID AT 2/1 ODDS. ENHANCED PRICE PAID AS A FREE BET …”.
A complainant believed the conditions of the offer were not clear and challenged whether the advert was misleading.
Marathonbet claimed the terms and conditions of the offer, which were available to customers by clicking the hyperlink within the ad, made clear how the winnings would be paid.
The firm added the claim “Only ?5 of your bet will be paid at enhanced odds” was a typographical error, and should have instead stated ?10, and had since been corrected.
The ASA however ruled the advert misleading because it did not make clear that a portion of the winnings would be paid out as a free bet, as opposed to cash.
The watchdog said: “While we noted the terms and conditions were one click away on a linked webpage, we considered that the fact a portion of the winnings would be paid out as a free bet was a significant condition that could affect whether or not a consumer decided to take up the offer, and should therefore have been stated prominently within the ad itself.”
The operator was informed by the ASA that the ad must not appear in its current form, and warned future ads must be made clear if a portion of a participant’s winnings would be paid out in free bets.
In other ASA news, KPI Gaming Consultants has also been forced to amend claims made about its business on its website after the ASA ruled them misleading and could not be substantiated.
The text: “We are a London based UK gaming consultancy with over 50 years combined experience within our team” was ruled misleading after the ASA found the company had one employee only.
The company’s claim that it had been established since 2006 was also ruled misleading, while the ASA failed to find any evidence to support the claims made in an unattributed testimonial that said: “not only did they bring down our casino CPA to under ?80”.