UK Bans another LeoVegas Online Casino Promo

For the second time this year, a LeoVegas online casino promo is banned.

Online casino promotions are the name of the game among today’s highly competitive operators. Delivering the largest number of free spins, or offering the highest deposit bonus, can draw a lot of customers. Well thought out ad campaigns in the media—especially humorous or edgy ones—get a lot of attention, too.

LeoVegas is a Swedish operator that splashed onto the mobile gambling scene a few years ago. It’s seen great success with its online casino promotions, particularly in the UK where television ads are permitted during prime-time viewing hours.

The operator has also drawn the ire of the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on more than one occasion. The situation isn’t nearly so far-gone as one of its major rivals, Paddy Power, who’s come under fire more times than most could count in the last decade. But LeoVegas will need to be more careful about its advertisements in the future to avoid getting a similarly bad rep.

ASA Bans ‘Misleading’ Online Casino Promo

The ASA identified one of LeoVegas’s recent online casino promotions as “misleading”. The operator was subsequently ordered to remove the ad. However, the fault may not lie solely with LeoVegas on this one.

According to reports, LeoVegas was promoting free spins on its mobile slot machines. One of the operator’s advertising partners, Nyheter, ran a social media campaign for the site on its Twitter channel.

The ASA report pointed to a Tweet published by Nyheter in December of 2016. The post, which was linked to the free spins promotion offered by LeoVegas, read:

“It still hasn’t been fixed! Big wins for Brits after online casino’s ‘glitch’.”

UK regulators flagged the ad as being misleading. After reviewing the content, they argued that the advertisement suggested players of LeoVegas would be able to win more money based on a system glitch.

The ASA investigated the matter and ruled in favor of the UK regulator, agreeing that the online casino promo was misleading. The operator was given a stiff warning and ordered to discontinue any online casino promotions of this nature, now and in the future.

This marks the second ASA ruling against LeoVegas this year. Back in March, the operator was rebuked for a similar violation of the Authority’s strict social responsibility standards. That ban revolved around online casino promotions run in November of 2016.

The ad in question promoted a £1,500 offer available to players because of an “online loophole”. That so-called ‘loophole’ was merely a link that led players back to another online casino promo. The ASA declared the ad to be unclear, and therefore in violation of advertising guidelines.

Coral Ad Also Banned by ASA

LeoVegas isn’t the only UK gambling operator whose ads have been pulled lately. Coral suffered the same fate when one of its promotions was deemed to be using “peer pressure” to attract bettors.

That ad, aired in April, depicted stylized characters playing football. It was called a “beautiful game” suggesting, “you can watch it or you can get involved”, with the tagline:

“So are you a spectator or are you a player? You decide. Coral. Get in on the action.”

The ASA determined that Coral was using peer pressure by suggesting that true fans don’t just watch, they participate, either by playing the games or betting on them. Like the online casino promotions of LeoVegas, Coral’s ads were pulled by the ASA, and the company was issued a staunch warning to avoid such content in the future.