The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) published a ruling on two issues related to an advert released by Cozy Games Management Ltd. The watchdog have investigated two issues, only one of which was actually upheld.
The complainant referred to an ad sent by Cozy Games Management’ Big Bucks Bingo brand directly on e-mail on August 2nd 2016. The text of the advert stated that customers could use a coupon with a promo code to get an additional bonus of £10. According to the ad, players could also get 100 free spins on login at the beginning of their play. The text of the ad also stated that all bonuses offered were subjected to the bonus policy of the bingo.
The complainant turned to the Advertising Standards Authority regarding two issues related to the Big Bucks Bingo advert. First, they accused the bingo for sending a misleading advert to customers, as the text did not made it sufficiently clear that there was a wagering requirement applied before players were allowed to cash their winnings out. The complainant also found the part with the 100 free spins available at login as misleading as they understood that players were actually provided with 100 “free” pay lines instead.
Cozy Games Management responded to the accusations, saying that customers were offered a bonus when making a £10 deposit and considered that information as sufficient enough for players to understand there was actually a wagering requirement. In addition, the company explained that each player was informed of the wagering rules before they redeemed the coupon with the promo code.
As for the second accusation, the Big Bucks Bingo said that the free spins granted to players could be used on specific “Free Bets” slots machines and these terms were available on the relevant category. In addition, the company offered a screenshot of the opening screen of a certain game, which stated that 1 spin equalled 1 pay line. Another schreenshot of the Terms and Conditions published in the Bonus Rules section was also provided by the company.
The Advertising Standards Authority investigated the accusations and upheld only the first one of them. According to the watchdog, the advert sent via e-mail stated that players could get a £10 bonus on top of other prizes referred to in the ad. So, the ASA found the advert misleading in this part, as customers would expect to receive the bonus amount to play with alongside the £10 deposit they initially make. The Authority found that on this point, the e-mail advert breached CAP Code rules 8.17 and 8.17.1 regarding the Significant conditions for promotions.
However, the Advertising Standards Authority has not upheld the second accusation of the complainant. The watchdog found that the advert referred to “free spins” which would be understood as a turn on each game. In addition, the ASA stated that the 100 free spins bonus could be used on 100 slot machine game turns, so the advert was not misleading to customers on this point. As far as the second accusation was concerned, the ASA investigated the ad under CAP Code rules 3.1 and 3.7 regarding the Misleading advertising and Substantiation, respectively. However, on this point no breach of the rules was found.
The Advertising Standards Authority said that the advert must not be released any more in the form complained about. In addition, it recommended Big Bucks Bingo to make sure that all promotions include enough information about the terms and conditions, as well wagering requirements, etc.
- Author
Daniel Williams
