In a new ruling, the Advertising Standards Authority sided with three complaints citing instance of socially irresponsible gambling messages by Bonus Accumulator.
ASA Sides with Complaints against Bonus Accumulator
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has reached a decision in three cases of what the regulator described as misleading or irresponsible advertising messages. All three complaints were filed against Profit Accumulator, which is trading under another name, Bonus Accumulator.
The complaints targeted several messages, including a Facebook campaign which the regulator said promoted irresponsible social messages. In a video seen on the social network dating to June 9, 2020, Bonus Accumulator detailed how its service worked and what the offer involved.
The video had a narrator read through some of the testimonies listed about the website. One anonymous consumer had left a message saying “this is my 45th day of isolation, this money is so welcome as I haven’t earned anything in six weeks.”
ASA deemed the advert inappropriate and non-compliant with the regulator’s established code of conduct, as it suggested that redeeming casino bonuses may lead to financial independency and offset the economic plight brought on by falling employment rates due to COVID-19.
Another statement in the video argued that “It is almost statistically certain that you will make a profit if you do enough offers” and was deemed irresponsible by the watchdog. ASA also put a keen eye to a website text spotted on June 14, 2020, which stated that “casino bonuses are not gambling,” and they “gave players an edge.”
Socially Irresponsible and Lacking Evidence
The message was immediately picked up and slammed as socially irresponsible. Bonus Accumulator addressed the complaints, arguing that the message encouraging “casino bonus hunting,” gave players a statistical edge of finding a helpful bonus.
As to the message shared by the consumer who asserted he had been in isolation, Bonus Accumulator explained that the specific segment was an insignificant part of the entire ad. The company further noted that the narrator in the message explicitly stated that he “could not promise that [consumers] would make money.”
Bonus Accumulator purported that there was mathematical evidence behind the claim that redeeming bonuses was a way to give players an edge. However, ASA upheld all complaints and said that the company must not relaunch advertisement campaigns containing the same messages.
ASA further noted that it had found no evidence to demonstrate that consumers using a bonus system had been successful and had, in fact, achieved profits, as a result of using the company’s tool.
“We, therefore, concluded that the system’s success and profitability had not been substantiated, and so the claim ‘It is almost statistically certain that you will make a profit’ was likely to mislead,” ASA said.
The watchdog added that any future campaigns must not downplay the risk involved in gambling. ASA weighed in another case last week citing two complaints against Betfair Casino and Foxy Games.
The watchdog has been actively trying to clean up the advertorial space from harmful or irresponsible gambling ads. During a sweep in August, the company reported 70 inappropriate gambling-related ads listed on children websites.
The most recent ruling in Bonus Accumulator’s case isn’t the first time the regulator challenged systems. Previously, ASA requested Paul Coleman, a tipster, to stop promoting betting system he reportedly promised would guarantee anyone using it a profit.