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ASA clears Coral advertisement of being misleading

A national press advert for Coral has been cleared by the Advertising Standards Authority, after being brought under question by The Campaign for Fairer Gambling.

Featuring in the Racing Post during the World Cup last year, text within the ad stated “PRICE BOOST Argentina v Iceland MESSI TO SCORE 2+ GOALS 5/1,” with the wording “WAS 3/1” struck through before stating “Max bet £10 …” beneath.

Small print of the ad went on to explain “PRICE BOOST: Offer available online and mobile from 8am 16/06/18 for a limited time only. Max Bet £10 … The ‘was’ price advertised is a guide price only, prices are subject to fluctuation …”

Raising an issue with its content The Campaign for Fairer Gambling challenged whether the crossed out price of 3/1, and the claim “PRICE BOOST,” were misleading.

Responding Coral stated that 3/1 was the standard market price when the promotion was introduced, but due to factors within the overall market that price fluctuated.

The nature of press advertisement was also raised, with content having to be finalised well in advance of publication, hence the inclusion of “guide price only, prices are subject to fluctuation” to ensure members of the public were fully informed.

Outlining the various shifts in price after creating the market on June 6, 2018, the company also explained that the price moved in such a way that the price boost was more advantageous to the customers who placed a bet on it.

Considering the evidence the ASA shared a belief that consumers would be aware of market fluctuations in the build up to an event, whilst understanding that the promotional offer would create a genuine benefit, something reinforced by text contained within the advert.

Furthermore, the ASA stated that consumers would understand the crossed out price to have been predominant market price, and that the price may have moved between the ad being created and its publication within the paper.

Not finding any evidence of a breach, the ASA did not uphold the complaint and deemed that no further action was necessary.

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