Two football-themed gambling adverts have been banned for their “high risk of strong appeal to under-18s”.
Oddschecker posted two Instagram posts in November, one with a picture of the England captain Harry Kane and another of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
But the Advertising Standards Authority concluded that the promotions were “irresponsible and breached the code” due to their appeal to children.
Under-18s
The ASA launched its investigation in response to concerns by a researcher at Bristol University.
One caption stated: “Harry Kane is the most backed player to win the Ballon d’Or in 2026 (32% of bets)”, with a trophy emoji. The other caption read: “In the last 24 hours, Norway to win the 2026 World Cup is the most-backed bet placed through oddschecker.”
Although Oddschecker claimed that the posts were “primarily editorial in nature, rather than ads”, and were set to only be visible to over-18s, the watchdog noted that there are “at least a significant number of children” who do not use their real date of birth on Instagram.
Widespread harm
Last month, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling Reform (APPG) and Peers for Gambling Reform (PGR) released a joint report calling on the Government to tackle the “significant and growing” scourge of gambling advertising across the UK.
It highlighted that gambling companies spend approximately £1.5 – £2 billion a year on advertising to grow demand for the industry, and cited research that more betting leads to greater harm.
Chair of PGR, Lord Foster of Bath, said: “The sheer volume and sophistication of gambling marketing, particularly online, means that children and those suffering harm are being exposed in ways that existing regulations simply do not address.”
He added: “If we are serious about preventing further harm, we must now significantly change the rules.”
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