UK Advertising Watchdog Bans Misleading Lottoland Promotions
The United Kingdom’s advertising regulatory body, the ASA, ruled in favor of numerous grievances lodged against Lottoland promotions displayed on Bing and Google.
Individuals protested, alleging the advertisements were deceptive. Lottoland enables wagering on lottery outcomes, rather than purchasing actual tickets. Certain Bing and Google ads proclaimed statements like “Lottoland Irish Lotto – Only £2” and “£2 Charity Combination. Enhance your odds on the Charity Lotto + 50% discount on BRC Scratchcards. Back UK charitable organizations here.”
Despite Lottoland’s agreement to modify the advertisements, the ASA upheld the objections. Essentially, technical complications with external ad formats hindered the implementation of changes.
Furthermore, the ASA determined that employing terms like “lotto,” “Irish Lotto,” and “US Powerball Lotto” – without supplementary context – could lead individuals to believe they were presented with opportunities to acquire tickets for the official lotteries.
Adding to the situation, the ASA stated that referencing UK charities amplified the perception of Lottoland as an authorized lottery administrator.
Consequently, the ASA concluded that Lottoland violated regulations concerning misleading advertising (specifically CAP Code rules 3.1 and 3.3).
The outcome? Lottoland is prohibited from displaying the advertisements in their present format on Bing or Google.
The agency responsible for ethical advertising issued a warning to Lottoland, stating that all upcoming promotional materials must be completely transparent regarding their offerings. The company should avoid any deceptive practices, such as concealing the fact that customers are essentially wagering on lottery results rather than directly taking part in the lotteries themselves.
Moving ahead, Lottoland is obligated to ensure that all advertisements include unambiguous and easily noticeable disclaimers about this distinction, so potential customers are fully aware of the nature of their involvement.
