The Advertising Standards Authority has objected to two press ads featured in the Racing Post for Bet365.com.
The complainant challenged whether the ads were misleading because they did not make clear that new customers could only claim the £200 of free bets if they staked a substantial amount of their own money first.
Bet365 Group said the ads stated that terms and conditions applied to obtaining the free bets and those conditions were clearly detailed on their website. According to the company, the terms of the offer were quite complex and that it was not possible to include all of them in the ad. It was added that the Racing Post readers were an educated betting audience and would understand that in order to obtain the free bets they would need to place a bet of their own.
The ASA noted the £200 of free bets were awarded in increments of £25 based on a fixed number of bets and a minimum spend by the customer.
“We noted from the conditions on the website that, upon staking the first £25 of their own money, new customers received a free bet worth £25. The remaining £175 of free bets were also awarded in £25 increments when customers made five bets or more of at least £25. We noted that in order to obtain the full £200 of free bets, customers were required to spend £900,” stated the ASA.
The ASA considered the minimum spend, the minimum number of bets and the incremental nature of the awards were significant conditions likely to influence consumers’ understanding of the offer and concluded that, because this information was omitted, both the ads were likely to mislead.
