Jackpot Joy Ordered to Pull Gambling Ad

Posted 12/17/10 :

SA concluded that the "ad" was misleading
 
An e-mail promotion run by Profitable Play Ltd t/a Jackpotjoy and headlined "Find out why we're Britain's best value night in!" was found to be misleading by the Advertising Standards Authority.
 
The e-mail promotion read – "… And if you click here to Join Now, you'll get our 100% Cash Match Welcome Bonus. So deposit GBP 10 and you'll get GBP 20 to play with. Plus we'll give you and [friend's name] an EXTRA GBP 10 EACH once you've played with your first deposit! Join now and get two big bonuses!" A clickable button below the text was labelled "Register Now".
 
The complainant, who had played with their first deposit but not received the GBP 10, challenged whether the "ad" was misleading.  Jackpot Joy defended its position by blaming a glitch in the link to the relevant terms and conditions of the promotion and that due to an error the link provided took users to the sites generic terms and conditions instead.
 
Jackpot Joy provided a copy of the promotions terms and conditions and a copy of a revised e-mail that also featured a link to the correct terms and conditions, however the ASA ruled that the wagering requirements were significant conditions likely to influence customers' understanding of the offer and should have been stated prominently in the "ad" and as such found that the "ad" was misleading.  Further they have ruled that the "ad" may not appear again in its current form.