The United Kingdom’s advertising regulatory body, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), took action against deceptive promotions from Lottoland appearing on Bing and Google search results. Essentially, individuals lodged complaints asserting that Lottoland’s advertisements created the impression of purchasing genuine lottery entries, when in reality, users were wagering on the results of lotteries.
Among the deceptive phrases were expressions such as “Lottoland Irish Lotto – Only £2” and promotions for “charity combinations.” The ASA deemed these practices unacceptable. They highlighted that despite Lottoland’s attempts to rectify the advertisements, technical difficulties hindered these efforts, resulting in the continued presence of misleading content.
The ASA unequivocally stated that employing terms like “Lotto,” “Irish Lotto,” and “US Powerball Lotto” without sufficient clarification was strictly prohibited due to the potential to mislead individuals into believing they were engaging with official lottery entities. Furthermore, incorporating references to UK charitable organizations exacerbated the perception of Lottoland as an authorized lottery operator.
In conclusion, Lottoland faced repercussions for violating regulations pertaining to deceptive advertising practices, and the ASA implemented a ban on the display of these misleading advertisements on both Bing and Google platforms.
The advertising regulatory body issued a warning to Lottoland, stating that all subsequent promotional materials must avoid deceiving customers. The agency highlighted specific instances, such as downplaying the reality that their platform facilitates wagers on lottery results, as opposed to direct entry.
Henceforth, Lottoland is obligated to ensure that all advertising content transparently and conspicuously conveys their provision of lottery betting services.
