William Hill rapped over ‘contradictory’ risk-free betting ad

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ordered William Hill not to repeat two ‘risk-free’ betting promotions it ran in December after ruling that the adverts were “unclear and contradictory”.

The promotions stated that customers would get their money back if they placed £5 or £10 stakes with the bookmaker.

However, one punter complained that the ads were misleading as the £5 refund was not made available unless they bet more money, while another customer was refused a refund after they had not wagered a big enough stake and that the money won and subsequently lost was not counted as their own money.

Although William Hill argued that the promotions were self-explanatory and that customers should be able to understand them, the ASA disagreed, stating the ads featured wording that was “unclear and contradictory”, ordering the bookmaker not to publish the promotions again.

“We told William Hill to ensure that terms and conditions were clearly worded and unambiguous, so that consumers would understand how the promotion worked and what amounts would be refunded,” the ASA said in its ruling.

“We also told it not to describe promotions as ‘risk-free’ if the mechanic of the relevant game meant that it was not possible in all cases to stake the required amount and receive a refund without a customer staking some additional money of their own.”

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