ASA Ruling on Bookmaker’s Aintree Grand National Promotion

July 17, 2024 | Advertising

LONDON (July 17, 2024) — A website for Geoff Banks Online, [www.geoffbanks.bet](http://www.geoffbanks.bet), a bookmaker, stated on 13 April 2024, “FOR THE MISSUS: Place a bet on the Aintree Grand National and get a free £10 bet on the Scottish Grand National”.

Further text stated, “Geoff Banks will award a £10 free bet for use on the Scottish Grand National if you wager on the Aintree Grand National. Minimum Qualifying Wager is £10 win or £5 each way. Qualifying wager can win or lose. Bets placed prior to 3 pm on Saturday 13th April qualify for this offer. Previous free bet stakes awarded do not count as qualifying wagers. Free bet will be credited to your account by Saturday 20th of April.”

Issue

The complainant, who was unable to redeem the promotion, challenged whether the ad breached the Code because it omitted significant conditions of the promotion.

Response

GB Sports Advisors Ltd t/a Geoff Banks Online said they believed all significant conditions for the promotion were made clear in the terms of the original ad and in the text message sent to participants on 15 April 2024, which stated how to claim the free bet. They also said a follow-up email was sent on 17 April 2024 that further explained how to claim the free bet and detailed that the bet had to be placed by 5 pm on 19 April 2024. They said that, despite the complainant seeing the text message, they did not reply until the following day, after the promotion had ended. They also highlighted other entrants had followed all relevant entry criteria and had been credited with a £10 free bet.

They reiterated that the follow-up email, received by participants on 17 April 2024, included the closing date for the promotion, and so in their view, the complainant was not disadvantaged in entering the promotion. Geoff Banks Online said they updated the ad on 19 April 2024 to include the closing date. Because they believed the information about how to claim the free bet was clear in the text message sent to entrants, they did not believe the ad was unclear or misleading.

Assessment
Upheld

The assessment highlights a breach of the CAP Code (Edition 12) by Geoff Banks Online regarding a promotion that lacked essential details, leading to potential consumer misunderstanding. Here’s a summary of the key points:

Breach of the CAP Code:

Significant Conditions Omission:
- The promotion failed to communicate all significant conditions, which is a requirement under the CAP Code.
- Specifically, it did not inform consumers about the necessity of replying to a text message by 5 pm on 19 April 2024 and placing the free bet by that date and time.
Consumer Misleading:
- The ad did not mention that a text message would be received or that it required a response within a specific timeframe.
- The closing date for placing the free bet was also omitted from the promotion.
Follow-up Communications:
- Although a follow-up email was sent to clarify the receipt of a text message and eligibility for a £10 free bet, it still did not specify the response deadline.
- The ad was updated a day before the promotion’s closing date to include the deadline for placing the free bet, but it did not mention the need to respond to a text message by a certain time and date.

Conclusion:

The omission of significant conditions in the ad was likely to mislead consumers about the promotion and their ability to participate.
The promotion breached several CAP Code rules, specifically 8.2, 8.17, 8.17.1, 8.17.4, and 8.17.4.a.

Action:

The advertisement in its complained form must not reappear.
Geoff Banks Online is instructed to ensure that all significant conditions are clearly included in future promotions.

This assessment emphasizes the importance of providing clear and complete information in promotional marketing to avoid misleading consumers.

SOURCE: The Advertising Standards Authority Ltd. (ASA).