What STILL needs to be addressed is the "economy of truth" in their advertising, in particular the BelleRock home page that cross markets ALL FOUR sign-up offers, yet makes NO MENTION in the main advertising that the player may only choose ANY ONE of the four offers, and NOT ALL FOUR.
There IS a link to the general terms, but this is hidden "below the fold" of the internet page, meaning that the player has to scroll right down to see it, and it is in small, unbolded, text - of the same prominence as the links to such things as affiliate sign-ups, about us, and other inconsequential matters.
The term exists, but it is buried with a load of legalese that would NOT normally catch out those players who do not read terms and conditions. Reading only the PROMOTIONAL terms gives no real clue that a PROMOTIONAL rule (5.6) is hidden among all the GENERAL rules that normally relate to excluded countries, and agreeing to privacy policies, and agreeing not to rip off the Client Viper software for commercial gain (disassemble, reverse engineer etc...).
The mere fact that this term is "5.6" and not 1.(something or other) shows that it is pretty much "buried" past a raft of "legalese", which is probably enough to make most people give up before they even get as far as 5.1!
This is what the UK Credit card companies were up to, NOW - they are REQUIRED to include ALL THE IMPORTANT POINTS in what is known as a "Summary box". This has to include ALL the terms that are likely to directly affect the general consumer, AND they have to be in PLAIN ENGLISH, not "lawyer speak". This "Summary box" is supposed to give sufficient information such that a consumer who cannot (or does not bother to try to) read or understand the "small print" is not going to suffer any "hidden" penalties while using the product for the purposes, and the benefits within, the main advertising copy that lead them to make the agreement in the first place.
There is a very simple solution, simply add to the BelleRock home page, and the download pages and promotions pages of ALL the casinos a nice highlighted sentence to tell the player that they can only have the one bonus through the whole group.
While we all seen to wonder why such simple measures are beyond the wit of business, I think I will find the answer by having a look at my niece's coursework. She is studying BUSINESS STUDIES, and PSYCHOLOGY.
These advertising mishaps are NO ACCIDENT - there are university level psychologists behind the design of everything from the order of display of supermarket products, to the lay out of positive news (in big bold print), and negative news (buried in tiny print and hidden away) in major product and service launches. THESE are the people who are "blocking" any attempts to introduce clarity and transparency in product advertising and the presentation of benefits and consumer contracts. It is all designed to "mess with our heads" so that we perceive a "sow's ear" offered up to us as the proverbial "silk purse".
Occasionally, a TV documentary seeks to blow the whistle on such practices, but they ALWAYS have a fight on their hands because the companies behind the deceptions keep trying to get "gagging" orders from the courts to disrupt the broadcasts. It is when such "gagging" orders fail, or are quashed, that we get to see exactly what the companies were trying to hide, and can judge for ourselves the possible motives for wanting the program to be off the air. In this modern "information age", such deceptive practices are increasingly failing, and it only makes companies, and even entire industries, look bad when the truth finally comes out.
(Just ask Absolute Poker..
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