One of the largest bookmakers on a global scale – William Hill – has been accused of releasing “sexist” promotions to its customers. The gambling and betting giant was caught offering a special promotion featuring a AU$150 bonus, but for male customers only.
The promotion material was sent to the company’s customers last week via e-mail. Under the rules, every member of William Hill’s website would be granted with a free AU$150 bonus in case that they convince a friend to register an account with the bookmaker, while the new customer would be granted with a sign-up bonus of AU$200. The betting giant, however, specified that only male clients were able to qualify for the promotion.
As reported by The Daily Mail, William Hill’s latest promotion was harshly criticised by the organisation that represents the entire industry – Responsible Wagering Australia. The peak body scolded the bookmaker and described the male-only customers policy of the bookmaker as “beyond unacceptable”.
According to Responsible Wagering Australia, William Hill Australia was the only gambling company that has still not inked its code of conduct. Currently, William Hill Australia is run by the Chief Executive Officer Thomas Waterhouse, a fourth-generation bookmaker, who sold his self-named business to the British gambling operator back in 2013.
”Male-Only” Promotion of William Hill Australia
As mentioned above, under the terms of the promo, which was described as an “exclusive referral promotion”, newly signed-up players would be granted with a monetary bonus of AU$200 after referred. In order to get the special sign-up bonus, they are required to create an account and make a deposit amounting to AU$50.
The referral, or in other words the player who brought the new customer to the William Hill website, would in their turn get a monetary bonus of AU$150. The money has been described by the company as a great way bonus for the Melbourne Cup weekend. However, in order for the both customers to get the above-mentioned bonus, the new player had to be male, according to the e-mail promotion.
In fact, the gender requirement to the new customer was not included in the terms of conditions of the promotion. Its inclusion in the e-mail sent to William Hill’s customers was described as a decision made by a certain employee.
The “sexist” rules of the promotion might have occurred as a measure against a certain trend that has hit bookmakers such William Hill, with players who refer female members of their families in order to be granted with free bets from these referrals. Regardless of the fact how inappropriate it is, the male-only requirement included in the gambling operator’s latest e-mail promotion may have been released as an attempt of the company to prevent such ill practices.
- Author
Olivia Cole
