Ad description
A TV ad for William Hill bookmakers, seen on 8 July 2018, stated "William Hill customers are getting more every day of the World Cup. With two extra bet boosts available on all World Cup matches. All you need to decide is which odds to boost. Pre-match and in-play. And you still get your regular bet boost with William Hill every day to use on any sport. Simply make your selection, hit 'boost' on your bet slip, and you're away. More boosts. More control. More to celebrate". On-screen text stated "Max stake £200 or currency equivalent, 1 x pre-match Boost and 1 x in-play Boost per customer per World cup fixture, Mobile Only [sic], Singles only. Not valid with any other promotions or offers, player/country/currency restrictions & terms apply". An end-frame stated "William Hill. THIS IS MORE. 2 extra Bet Boosts on every match".
Issue
The complainant, a William Hill customer, challenged whether the claim "two extra bet boosts available on all World Cup matches" was misleading and could be substantiated, because they had stopped receiving them after nine days of the World Cup.
Response
WHG (International) Ltd (WHG) explained that the circumstances surrounding the complaint related to the fact that the customer in question was restricted from receiving promotions. They said that over the lifetime of the account, the customer had abused the number of bonuses they were entitled to receive and on that basis WHG's Trading department had made the decision to restrict them. They said the complainant had received a total of 478 bonuses over the lifetime of the account, which amounted to £1,639.28 but they had only ever deposited £60.
They said the customer was contacted on 23 June 2018 and advised of the decision. That was prior to the ad being aired, so they were already aware of the restriction, which would have prevented them from receiving the bonuses described in the ad.
They said they ensured that the ad did not state that "all" customers were entitled to the offer. They also pointed out that superimposed text in the ad stated that player restrictions applied and they believed that this highlighted that certain players would not be entitled to the offer.
Clearcast said they were satisfied with the substantiation provided by WHG at the time of script and clock approval. They understood that the customer in question was restricted from receiving bonuses and they believed the superimposed text made it clear that restrictions applied.
Assessment
Not upheld
The ASA noted that the ad stated "William Hill customers are getting more every day of the World Cup. With two extra bet boosts available on all World Cup matches" and superimposed text stated "player/country/currency restrictions & terms apply". We noted the ad did not state that "all" William Hill customers could obtain the bet boosts and considered that, in addition to the text regarding restrictions and terms, it was unlikely to give the impression that the offer was open to those who had been advised that they were restricted from receiving promotions.
We understood that there were individual circumstances that meant the complainant's account had been restricted and they had been notified that they were no longer entitled to receive bonuses. We considered that the particular restriction, which only applied to certain customers based on their individual circumstances, was not significant because those customers were likely to be aware of the restrictions that applied to them and, therefore, it was acceptable not to specifically reference it in the ad.
We therefore concluded that the ad was unlikely to mislead.
We investigated the ad under BCAP Code rules 3.1 (Misleading advertising), 3.9 (Substantiation), 3.10 and 3.11 (Qualification), but did not find it in breach.
Action
No further action necessary.
