ASA rejects Unibet ad complaints

Advertising Standards Authority has rejected a complaint raised against Unibet in regards to various adverts that were claimed to be misleading. A paid-for Facebook post (created on 22 June 2016) and three TV adverts (broadcast from September 2016) all featured three men discussing the potential outcomes of various sporting events and how different factors, such as previous player performance and attributes, might influence the results. In each ad, the information provided by his friends persuaded a gambler to change his bet at the last minute, or would be proven to be the correct choice. All of the adverts ended with: ‘Luck Is No Coincidence’. The complainant argued that the strapline ‘Luck Is No Coincidence’ in the Facebook advert implied that it was possible to predict the outcome of sporting events and therefore gambling did not involve an element of chance, and was therefore misleading. The ASA further challenged whether the use of the strapline in the TV adverts had the same effect and therefore under the CAP code whether the TV adverts were misleading. Unibet argued that the adverts, which only referred to their sportsbook products, did not imply that gambling outcomes could be predicted. They explained that the intention of their advertisement was to convey that preparation, research, and knowledge in sports could lead consumers to better informed betting. By making an informed choice on their bet, a customer could influence luck, and therefore luck was not a coincidence. The ASA deemed that the advertisement breached neither the CAP Code nor the BCAP Code. They considered that consumers would understand that the message of the strapline ‘Luck Is No Coincidence’ would be dependent on the consumer having a greater knowledge of the sport they are placing a bet, and this could indeed improve a gambler’s chances of predicting outcomes and thus winning.