The UK’s advertising watchdog has rapped the knuckles of online betting operator Bet-at-home for linking gambling with sexual success.
On Tuesday, the UK Advertising Standards Authority publicly rebuked the Malta-licensed Bet-at-home, a subsidiary of French online betting operator BetClic Everest, over a racy tweet by a Bet-at-home affiliate.
The tweet, which was posted last November by Croatia-based affiliate BetPromotions4U, featured a close-up photo of a woman in the process of pulling her trousers down. Emblazoned on the woman’s knickers was the phrase: “If you can read this it’s your lucky day.” The tweet, which was promoting a Liverpool FC Europa League match, directed UK punters to the UK version of Bet-at-home.com.
The ASA felt the ad breached CAP Code prohibitions against linking gambling activity with sexual success. Bet-at-home stopped masturbating long enough to respond that the ad was indeed generated by their Malta office but wasn’t intended for a UK audience.
Bet-at-home also said their Croatian affiliate hadn’t acquired any UK customers and the link was geo-targeted, meaning any punter who clicked on the link in the tweet would be automatically directed to the Bet-at-home site in their home market.
The affiliate deleted the tweet after being notified of its wider than expected reach and promised to take greater care in future, although he noted that the promoted match was a Europe-wide event.
The ASA called bullshit, noting that the tweet was written in English, referenced an English team playing a match in England and contained zero references to non-English subjects, such as foreign currencies. The ASA ordered Bet-at-home to be more socially responsible in future.
The ASA also took issue with a ‘no lose’ promo on the website of Sky Vegas, the online casino division of UK operator Sky Betting & Gaming. The promo promised a “No Lose Month Throughout January” and the ability to “Play Risk Free throughout January” with “100% Cashback on Net Losses.”
The promo went on to specify that certain terms applied, including limiting the promo to a selected number of games on selected days, while capping the total net losses at £10 or £20 and requiring the refunded sums to be wagered at least once before withdrawals were permitted.
The ASA received two complaints that accused Sky Vegas of misleading punters through the use of the phrases “No Lose” and “Risk Free.” While the ASA acknowledged that Sky Vegas had listed the offer’s limitations, it nonetheless determined that the limitations contradicted, rather than clarified, the offer’s headline claims. The ASA ordered Sky Vegas to be more upfront in future ads.
