Gambling adverts featuring Sir Lewis Hamilton and a Chelsea FC logo have been banned for the likelihood they would strongly appeal to children.
Adverts for two gambling firms, Kwiff and Betway, were banned after a complaint was lodged to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
A post on Kwiff’s X account, seen in July, featured text stating: “A potentially huge weekend for Sir Lewis Hamilton ahead of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone #F1.”
The post contained an image of Sir Lewis and a banner across the bottom that featured an 18+ symbol and the BeGambleAware.org logo.
The complainant, a researcher from the University of Bristol, challenged whether the ad included an individual who was likely to be of strong appeal to under-18s and, therefore, breached rules.
Eaton Gate Gaming, trading as Kwiff, said its data indicated Sir Lewis appealed to an older audience rather than those aged under 18.
However, it said it had reviewed its social media accounts and removed any content that displayed mainstream sportspeople.
The Advertising Standards Authority said Sir Lewis’s 150,000 under-18 UK Instagram followers alone indicates he has strong appeal to under-18s, and this figure would only be increased by any additional under-18 UK-based followers on X and Facebook.
The ASA said: “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.
“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.”
The ASA also banned a YouTube ad for Betway, seen in May, featuring football fans wearing clothing and scarves with the Chelsea FC logo.
Betway said it had the contractual right to use the club’s logo in its role as Chelsea FC’s official European betting partner, adding that if the ad was found to be in breach of advertising rules it could set a damaging precedent for gambling sponsorships in sport.
The ASA said it would have been acceptable for the logo to appear in a standalone context, for example at the end of the ad, where it would act as a visual reference to a subject of the gambling activity.
However, the logo was shown on fans’ scarves, lanyards and hats and also featured on team shirts in wall displays and on backdrops within the stadium building.
The ASA said: “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.”
It added: “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.”
Betway said: “We have fully co-operated with the investigation and will continue to take proactive steps to ensure that all recommendations and findings are implemented.
“Betway has absolutely no interest in marketing to children or young people. All of our content undergoes a rigorous multi-stage review process before publication.
“This particular video was subject to the same thorough checks and was believed to be fully compliant with the latest industry guidelines. We would never knowingly produce or release any content that breaches those rules.”
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