ASA bans Betway and Kwiff adverts over youth appeal concerns
Table of contents
- Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) rules gambling ads featuring Lewis Hamilton and Chelsea FC logo breach regulations designed to protect under-18s
- Betway’s YouTube advertisement showed Chelsea branding prominently displayed on fans’ clothing and stadium backdrops
- Kwiff’s social media post highlighted Hamilton ahead of British Grand Prix with over 150,000 under-18 followers on Instagram alone
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has banned gambling advertisements from Betway and Kwiff for featuring content likely to strongly appeal to children. The ASA announced the rulings on Monday following separate complaints about the operators’ marketing campaigns.
ASA targets Hamilton promotion
Kwiff faced scrutiny over a July social media post on X featuring Formula One driver Sir Lewis Hamilton ahead of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
The post included Hamilton’s image alongside text reading “A potentially huge weekend for Sir Lewis Hamilton ahead of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone #F1″ with an 18+ symbol and BeGambleAware.org logo.
A researcher from the University of Bristol challenged whether the advertisement included an individual with strong appeal to under-18s. Eaton Gate Gaming, trading as Kwiff, argued its data indicated Hamilton appealed to an older audience rather than those aged under 18.
The ASA rejected this defence, noting Hamilton’s 150,000 under-18 UK Instagram followers alone demonstrated his appeal to young people.
“We acknowledged that Sir Lewis Hamilton was primarily famous for his association with an adult-oriented sport but considered he was very well known to a general UK audience, including to children and young people,” the regulator stated.
“We considered, based on his public profile, commercial partnerships, media appearances and UK under-18 social media following, that he had strong appeal to under-18s.
“For those reasons, we concluded the ad was irresponsible and breached the code.”
Chelsea branding violation
Betway’s YouTube advertisement, seen in May, featured football fans wearing clothing and scarves with the Chelsea FC logo prominently displayed. The operator defended its use of the Chelsea branding, citing its contractual right as the club’s official European betting partner.
The ASA ruled that YouTube was an unsuitable platform for the advertisement because Betway could not guarantee under-18s would not see the content. The authority noted concerns that many minors may not have provided accurate birth dates when registering for YouTube accounts.
“We considered that the depiction of the team logo in an ad that showed a stadium experience for fans was likely to strongly appeal to children and young people who supported Chelsea FC or followed football more widely.
“We further considered that its appearance in that context went beyond any permitted exemption for identifying content and, therefore, was likely to be of strong appeal to under-18s.
“The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Betway to ensure that future ads did not contain content of strong appeal to those under 18 years of age,” ASA concluded.
The regulator clarified this use exceeded allowed exemptions for identifying content.
Industry compliance response
Following the ruling, Kwiff reviewed its social media accounts and removed content that displayed mainstream sportspeople. Betway expressed concern that the ban could set a “damaging precedent for gambling sponsorships in sport”.
The ASA clarified that Chelsea’s logo would have been acceptable in certain contexts, such as appearing at the end of an advertisement as a reference. The violation occurred because the branding appeared on fans’ scarves, lanyards, hats, and team shirts within stadium displays.
These rulings form part of ongoing ASA enforcement of regulations preventing gambling advertisements from targeting or appealing to minors.
The authority’s decisions highlight the increasing scrutiny operators face when using sports personalities and team branding in their marketing campaigns, particularly on platforms with large youth audiences.
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