ASA Rules Against William Hill Over Misleading Welcome Bonus Ads

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled against William Hill Online concerning two advertisements for the brand's welcome bonus offer. The ads in question—a paid search ad on Bing and a landing page on the William Hill website—were found to be misleading due to the omission or insufficient prominence of significant conditions.

The core issue revolved around the exclusion of certain payment methods, such as Apple Pay, from the £60 ($77) welcome bonus offer. The ASA determined that this was a significant condition that could affect consumers' understanding of how to participate in the promotion.

In the Bing search ad, there was no mention of the excluded payment methods. Although the ad linked to a webpage with more details, the ASA ruled that significant conditions must be stated in all marketing communications where their omission could mislead consumers.

On the William Hill website landing page, the small print mentioned "Payment methods & country restrictions apply," but the ASA found this insufficient. The specific exclusions were listed further down the page under "Key terms," but the ASA deemed this insufficiently prominent given their significance.

William Hill argued that space limitations in the search ad justified omitting some conditions and that the website's structure was designed to provide information progressively. However, the ASA upheld the complaint, stating that the ads breached several rules in the CAP Code, including those related to misleading advertising and significant conditions for promotions.

As a result, the ASA has instructed William Hill to ensure future marketing communications include all significant conditions prominently to avoid misleading consumers. The ads in question must not appear again in their current form.