A complaint made against Profit Accumulator has seen the UK’s advertising standards authority (ASA) ban two Instagram posts which related to inappropriate wording and hashtags.
Inappropriate Text
On Profit Accumulator’s Instagram account, two posts were deemed inappropriate, the first contained the words ‘Colossal Win 2,380.50 a fantastic win from one of our members’, hashtags followed including: #makemoney #makingmoney #income #makingmoneyfromhome #students and #sahm which means stay at home mums.Another posted a review saying, “ In one month I have gone from a person struggling to stay afloat who is worrying about their MOT, bills etc to completely flipping my financial position. Could not have got to this position without match betting and without the guidance of Profit Accumulator.” This post also included inappropriate hashtags.The complainant was concerned the ad would encourage people who were in financial difficulties that match betting was the way forward in achieving financial security.
Followed Correct Information
Profit Accumulator defended the ads, saying they did contain terms associated with making financial gain but it was not an alternative to employment. They believed the ads were fair as the information given to bettors was correct and followed procedures, which meant it was unlikely they would lose any money.Although the ASA agreed Profit Accumulator was not gambling and only supplied bettors with information on promotional offers, it was still viewed as a gambling product, they ruled the ads were not to be seen in its current form.The ASA commented,“ Although we acknowledged that some consumers who made use of the service provided by Profit Accumulator would be exposed to gambling services, Profit Accumulator’s service was not itself gambling. However, we considered that the purpose of the service was to facilitate gambling and we therefore assessed the ads with that in mind.”The ASA also commented on the use of hashtags and imagery of large sums of money which could be seen as a way of earning income, or an alternative to earning income from employment. Hashtags relating to stay at home mums or working from home, could be misleading and seen as referring to a job you could do from home.Profit Accumulator have been warned by the ASA about text they choose to use when advertising match betting, it is not a solution to financial security or alternative employment, any suggestion otherwise will be severely dealt with.