Coral 'Cash Out' advert banned

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a Coral TV ad due to what it calls misleading information.

The ASA has said that the ad gives a misleading impression of the availability of its ‘Cash Out’ feature.

The TV ad, which was aired on October 18th last year, promoted the bookmaker’s 'Cash Out' feature, with a voiceover stating: "Imagine if you could just stop stuff when you wanted to. With Coral's Cash Out My Bet, you decide when to blow the whistle. Online or on your phone, you can cash out your bet with Coral."
This was accompanied by on-screen text which stated: "18+ gambleaware.co.uk. Terms at coral.co.uk".

The 'Cash Out' feature was challenged by two complainants, however. They claimed the ad was misleading as they were unable to cash out their bets using the ‘Cash Out’ feature. One of the complainants stated that the feature had been suspended for long periods of time on two particular dates.

The advert informed users that they could access the ‘Cash Out’ feature either online or through their smartphone. The two complainants were not able to do so when they tried.

Coral Interactive responded by explaining that the brand had always been focused on ensuring that the feature could be used as long as possible, some “inevitable and uncontrollable circumstances” occurred. The latter were associated with some technical issues related to the functionality, which was why the feature might not have been available.

According to Coral, the terms and conditions were clear regarding the ‘Cash Out’ feature of the company. The terms and conditions were available on the brand’s website, stating that the availability of the feature is not guaranteed, and the company has the right to change, suspend or even fully remove the ‘Cash Out My Bet’ feature.

The second complainant claimed they were not able to cash out their football bet selection. The company explained that the ‘Cash Out’ feature was available to football users in regard to their selections. Coral Interactive also stated that there were some restrictions regarding the bets that were available for cash out.

The ASA released a statement on the complaints filed by the two individuals. They decided to uphold the accusations against the company in these cases. The ASA said the TV advert was misleading as the customers were led to believe that the ‘Cash Out’ feature was available and could be used at any time and stage on any bet they place online with Coral. They also stated that the advert provided a ‘misleading impression for the customers’.

The advert was found to breach BCAP Code provisions 3.1 and 3.2 on Misleading Advertising and 3.10 on Qualification. Under its ruling, the advert must be released in its present form no more. The Authority also recommended Coral Interactive to make sure that the brand’s future adverts do not mislead the brand’s customers.