Ladbrokes Clashes With ASA
Published on by Becky Mosley
The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) recently concluded that Ladbrokes had produced a promotional deal on betting slips that was misleading to the customer. The ASA often makes its conclusions based on an investigation following just one complaint, but there were two unhappy customers in this case.
The promotion
The promotion appeared on betting slips in both December 2015 and February 2016. The details were as follows:BET £5+ OVER THE COUNTER AND WE’LL GIVE YOU A SELF SERVICE £2 FREEBET…£2 FREE BET INTRODUCING THE SPORTS GURUThe offer was concluded with the stipulation that ‘Ladbrokes rules apply’.The issue was that Ladbrokes were offering the promotional freebies on a first come, first served basis. There was a limit to the number of these free bets, and not every customer was going to be able to claim one. The ASA decided that Ladbrokes should have been much clearer on the limited availability of this promotion, and that the vague mention of ‘rules’ was not an acceptable defence.
ASA Guidelines
The ASA looked into the complaints on the basis of several regulations regarding advertising and marketing. One of these is the stipulation that anything that promotes a business or service should not be open to misinterpretation by potential customers. Secondly, promotional activities should not involve leaving out any information that would be important to the customer.The regulations include a ruling that competitions and promotions must be fair, and any related restrictions should be made clear at the outset.Businesses that engage in marketing activities should be able to show that they have estimated the demand for the product or service they’re offering. If the demand has been under-estimated, companies are obliged to communicate this with customers.Ladbrokes acknowledged their mistake, but did point out that there was clear information on their website. However, the gaming provider has agreed that future materials will make any restrictions or limitations clear to all potential customers.