Background
Non-compliant Prize Promotions: Clarson Ltd breaks UK advertising rules that apply to prize promotions.
The website www.raffleade.co.uk (formerly www.raffleaid.co.uk) breaks the rules for advertising prize promotions which do not contain a clear and prominent free-entry route. The CAP Code states that prize promotions that have a free-entry route, which is required for promotions that otherwise offer a paid-entry route, must display an explanation of the free-entry route clearly and with equal prominence as the other means of paid entry. This is so that consumers may chose to participate without paying, otherwise such promotions maybe considered illegal lotteries by the Gambling Commission.
The ASA investigated prize promotions advertised on Clarson Ltd’s Instagram page www.instagram.com/raffleaid (@raffleaid) and ruled that the advertiser broke the rules on the basis that the promotions did not contain a clear and prominent free-entry route. The promotions on www.raffleade.co.uk breach the rules on the same basis.
The CAP Compliance team received assurance from Clarson Ltd on 31 October 2022 that they would amend their advertising. Following contact with the advertiser, where the advertiser was given advice on how to comply with the ASA ruling, the Compliance team took the decision on 2 February 2023 the to place their company details on this section of the ASA website. These details shall remain in place until such time as Clarson Ltd has appropriately amended their advertising to comply with the CAP Code.
