A direct mailing campaign claiming recipients would win up £1,000 a week “without fail” on online roulette gaming sites has been banned by the ad watchdog.
The mailing, from AD Associates, promoted a mathematical “loophole” secret. It stated: “You’re about to be shown a guaranteed way for you to make £30-£100 a day – without fail – every single day of the week. So if you need to make cash quickly to pay any bills – bank loans – over-drafts … make more money from this – than you currently make in your job! You can do this from home and make £300-£1,000 a week!”
But a number of complainants challenged whether the claims that the system was “guaranteed” to make money were misleading and could be substantiated.
In response, AD Associates said it provided a mathematical system to indicate changes in a computer program; it was based on factual calculations and not chance. It said it was not a gambling product; the chance in standard roulette was based on the fact the ball could land anywhere on the wheel but this system was a mathematical definite based on a calculation performed by a computer.
But the Advertising Standards Authority concluded the mailing was irresponsible and therefore breached the Code on a number of issues, including misleading advertising, exaggeration and prohibited claims.
It ruled the ad must not appear again in its current form, warning AD Associates to ensure it held robust evidence before making future claims and not to imply gambling systems were an alternative to work in future.
