Instagram Betting Ads Featuring Football Stars Banned
The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned two Instagram adverts featuring football players Harry Kane and Erling Haaland, deeming them "irresponsible". The adverts promoted an online betting site and were found to breach the ASA's code due to the strong appeal the footballers have to under-18s.
The adverts were posted by Oddschecker, which argued that the images were "primarily editorial in nature, rather than ads," and that the Instagram account was restricted to users aged 18 and over. However, the ASA highlighted concerns that "at least a significant number of children had not used their real date of birth when signing up" to Instagram, making the age restriction ineffective.
Details of the Advertisements and Investigation
The ASA's investigation focused on two adverts from November, following a complaint from a researcher at Bristol University. One advert displayed a picture of Harry Kane alongside the caption:
"Harry Kane is the most backed player to win the Ballon d'Or in 2026 (32% of bets),"
accompanied by a trophy emoji. The other advert featured Erling Haaland with the caption:
"In the last 24 hours, Norway to win the 2026 World Cup is the most-backed bet placed through oddschecker."
Cyan Blue Odds Ltd, trading as Oddschecker, acknowledged that featuring prominent footballers could attract children and reiterated that the account was set to restrict access to those over 18. They also maintained that the posts were editorial content rather than advertisements, which explained the absence of an age disclaimer or responsible gambling message.
ASA's Ruling on the Advertisements
The ASA rejected Oddschecker's defense, emphasizing that both Kane and Haaland have a "high risk of strong appeal to under-18s." Consequently, the ASA concluded that the adverts were irresponsible and violated the advertising code.
"For those reasons, we concluded the ads were irresponsible and breached the code."
Separate ASA Decision on Another Footballer Ad
In a related decision, the ASA reviewed another Instagram advertisement featuring a footballer but found no breach of rules. This advert, promoting Betway, included an image of former Arsenal forward and current pundit Thierry Henry. The ASA determined that Henry was unlikely to have a strong appeal to under-18s and therefore the advert complied with the code.
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