The ad carried the slogan "Mortgage? What mortgage?" and was criticised by the Gambling Reform & Society Perception Group (GRASP) who:
challenged whether the ad was irresponsible because they believed the ad implied that participating in a lottery was a solution to financial concerns or a way to achieve financial security.
The Health Lottery Ltd claimed that the ad:
in no way depicted participation in a lottery as a solution to financial concerns.
Unsurprisingly:
The Daily Express...said they believed the ad was suitable for publication and re-iterated the points made by The Health Lottery.
However, the ASA ruled:
We considered that because the ad suggested that someone who had won the lottery could pay off their debts, the implication was that participation in the lottery was a way of solving financial concerns or achieving financial security. We noted that the CAP Code stated "Marketing communications must not suggest that participating in a lottery can be a solution to financial concerns ... or a way to achieve financial security. Advertisers may, however, refer to other benefits of winning a prize". We considered that other benefits of a winning a prize included purchasing new goods or experiences, rather than paying off existing debts.
For these reasons, we concluded that the ad was irresponsible because it implied that participating in a lottery was a solution to financial concerns or a way to achieve financial security.
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That ad sounds pretty bad but it isn't the worst one for the health lottery that I've seen. That distinction goes to a tv advert in which people were distressed after their numbers came up on (I think) Wednesday, when they only play on Friday. The implication being that you now need to double the amount you pay or you will miss out on certain winnings. I did wonder whether such an advert wouldn't break laws about advertising gambling, but I don't know the relevant rules on it.
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