Coral and Football Index ads rapped by ASA over irresponsibility claims
Football Index has second ad banned in two months, this time for suggesting its product could be a way to make money
Adverts from Coral and Football Index have been ruled as irresponsible by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), with the advertising watchdog ruling that both ads should not be aired again.
A Coral advert, which was first aired in June, featured a voice-over which said: ‘Join Coral’s bet and get club and get a free £5 bet every Sunday.’
Text on the ad also said: ‘Bet + Get Club. Free £5 bet every Sunday when you bet £25+ Monday to Saturday.’
A complainant challenged whether this free bet inducement encouraged individuals to gamble on a weekly basis in an irresponsible and potentially harmful way.
Responding to the complaint, Coral cited the ‘Bet and Get Club’ as being an opt-in promotion, which required customer choice to participate. In addition, Coral highlighted the fact that customers could opt-out of the promotion at any time and were not obligated to place bets during the week in question.
Given these factors, Coral felt the ad did not encourage frequent betting.
However, the ASA considered the suggestion to join the club and bet every Sunday as being enough encouragement to some consumers to take up the offer on a repeat basis. As a result, the ASA said this encouraged harmful gambling behaviour and ordered the withdrawal of the ad.
Football Index also had an ad banned by the ASA for suggesting its product was a way to make money.
Complaints were received by the ASA concerning a Football Index ad which appeared as sponsored content on Four Four Two’s YouTube channel.
The advert, entitled ‘How to make money from Football Index’, explained how to use the site, claiming that it was a ‘long, ongoing bet’ with multiple opportunities to win and the ability to cash out.
A complainant challenged whether the advert made clear the risks involved in betting and whether it irresponsibly implied the product was a reliable source of income.
In response, Football Index said it felt its description as a ‘football stock market’ would make customers aware of the inherent risk involved in making the bet. Football Index also said they felt the use of ‘long ongoing bet’ would inform players that losses could be incurred.
However, the ASA felt the advert created the impression the product was a ‘lucrative investment opportunity’ and said references within the advert to potential fluctuations, together with instructions to learn the rules were insufficient to override this impression.
As such, the ASA ruled the ad must not appear in the same form online again, warning Football Index to ensure the associated financial risks were made clear to players in the future.
This latest censure by the ASA is the company’s second in the space of two months, following a similar banning order from the Authority over an advert featuring England football Jaden Sancho in August.