In December 2018, David Clifton commented on matched betting in a Gambling Compliance article entitled “IBAS Managing Director warns operators of welcome bonus risks” 

The Advertising Standards Authority has today made a ruling against DotNetPages Ltd t/a OddsMonkey that it must not present its matched betting service in an irresponsible manner, for example by underplaying the risks involved as it did on its home page in November 2018, when it stated:

• “Make Money Online with OddsMonkey. OddsMonkey makes it simple for you to earn a tax-free second income” and
• “How does Matched Betting Work? With our bespoke software and a bit of good, old-fashioned maths, you can minimise the risk associated with ordinary betting. Because matched betting isn’t gambling; it’s about maximising your profit potential with the original developers of the UK’s leading software”.

In its ruling (that can be downloaded below), the ASA concluded that “given the ad’s focus on the simplicity and high earning potential of the service, and its relative level of risk by comparison with traditional betting, in combination with the lack of prominent information about the actual risks involved …. it was irresponsible and therefore breached the Code”.