Betway and bwin sanctioned by ASA

Betway Ltd candidly admitted that a complaint received by the UK Advertising Standards Authority had merit regarding an ad on betway.com that featured large text stating “Football Betting Offer £30 Free Bet … Bet Now” accompanied by terms and conditions in smaller text.

The complainant questioned whether the ad made it clear that to obtain a free bet of £30 customers had to deposit the same amount, to which Betway agreed that significant conditions within the ad had been omitted which explained that it was for a 100 percent matched free bet based on the amount of a new customers deposit. In its defence Betway said it had, however, included the full conditions in the full terms and conditions for the promotion.

The ad has since been modified, Betway claimed, and steps taken to ensure the breach doesn’t occur again.

ElectraWorks’ bwin.party was also found to have misled customers on wagering bonus requirements regarding a website ad that also offered a GBP 30 Welcome Bonus.

The ASA ruled the ad misleading saying consumers would expect that once they had deposited the requisite minimum GBP 10, that they would receive a matched bonus amount of up to GBP 30, which was not the case.

The company was cautioned to ensure that all future ads clearly state full wagering requirements for promotions.