Gambling, betting and gaming: Free bets and bonuses – ASA

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Note: This recommendation is given by the CAP Executive about non-broadcast promoting. It doesn’t represent authorized recommendation. It doesn’t bind CAP, CAP advisory panels or the Advertising Standards Authority.


Free bets and bonuses are well-liked promotional instruments within the playing sector, for instance free spins on on line casino video games and free bets for brand spanking new clients. As properly as complying with the foundations in Section 16: Gambling, the promotional advertising and marketing part of the Code (Section 8) can even apply.

Advertisers ought to keep away from promotions and adverts which might be deceptive or unclear.

Be clear and accurate

Include significant terms and conditions

Make full terms easily accessible

Avoid misleading omissions

Ensure all promotions are responsible

Be clear and correct

Ads that embody promotions ought to be certain that the provides are clear and correct to keep away from being thought-about as deceptive. Marketers shouldn’t describe a suggestion as “free” if the client should danger their very own cash to qualify. Ambiguous phrases like “risk-free” must also be averted, except the client genuinely can’t lose their very own funds.

Include vital phrases and situations

Under CAP Code rule 8.17, all advertising and marketing communications or supplies referring to promotions should clearly and prominently talk all relevant vital situations if their omission is more likely to mislead shoppers. This data have to be clear and upfront. Rule 8.17 lists some situations that are more likely to be thought-about vital in all kinds of promotional advertising and marketing. Here are some examples which might be more likely to be thought-about vital in adverts for playing promotions –

  • Eligibility restrictions (e.g., new clients solely, age, location).
  • Deposit or wagering necessities.
  • Time limits for claiming or utilizing the supply.
  • Minimum odds or wager varieties.

In 2024 the ASA investigated a promotion for a free £10 wager, after the client couldn’t make the most of the supply.  In order to qualify for the free wager, shoppers needed to reply to a textual content message by a sure time, nonetheless, this was not stipulated within the advert. The ASA thought-about this was a major situation and the omission was more likely to mislead, (GB Sports Advisors Ltd t/a Geoff Banks Online, 17 July 2024).

The ASA investigated a ‘voucher’ offered by an advertiser in 2025. The voucher for a £5 free bet was not valid on 14 March due to the Cheltenham Gold Cup, however this was not specified on the voucher at all. The ASA considered this was a significant condition about how to participate in the promotion and so breached the Code (SP Graham Retail Ltd, 27 August 2025)

Make full terms easily accessible

As well as including the significant terms and conditions in the ad, the full terms and conditions for the promotion should be easily accessible. For online ads, full terms and conditions should be usually be one click away from the main ad. Also the links must be clear and prominent, not hidden in footers or small print.

In 2024 the ASA investigated a complaint about a promotion and a payment method that was excluded. The ad included this information in small print further down the page, among the full terms and conditions. The ASA  considered the excluded payments information was a significant condition of the promotion, and although it was not omitted entirely from the ad, its position meant that it was easy for consumers to overlook it and was therefore insufficiently prominent (WHG (International) Ltd t/a William Hill Online, 31 July 2024).

Avoid misleading omissions

Ads should make clear any conditions that consumers need to partake in any offer. Omitting key information could affect a consumer’s understanding of the offer, for example if a “free bet” requires a qualifying bet, this must be stated clearly.

Ensure all promotions are responsible

As well as the rules above, ads for promotions must comply with all the rules in Section 16 of the Code, which applies to ads for gambling products. Ads must not strongly appeal to under-18s and should not target under-18s or appear in media where they form a significant proportion of the audience.

Promotions should also be responsible and ensure that they do not encourage repetitive or frequent participation. Ads should not trivialise gambling and should avoid the impression that the decision to gamble should be taken lightly.

Advertisers should exercise caution when encouraging people to take advantage of a promotion, and should not encourage people to spend more than can afford to lose. These positions are explained in further detail in our advertising guidance on ‘responsibility and problem gambling’.

 

See also: Promotional marketing: General, Promotional marketing: terms and conditions and significant conditions and Gambling, betting and gaming: General


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