Media Watchdog Bans Chelsea/Lewis Hamilton Gambling Ads in the UK

The Advertising Standards Authority, the UK’s media watchdog, has gone after popular sportsbook and online casino Betway, as well as Kwiff, a betting app, alleging that the company has breached gambling advertising laws by featuring the logo of Chelsea FC, and by including the image and likeness of Lewis Hamilton, a well-known Formula 1 driver, in its promotional materials.

ASA Goes After Gambling Ads in the UK

In an advertisement shared on YouTube by Betway in May, Chelsea FC apparel-clad fans could be seen, which the ASA alleges breaches conduct. Separately, Kwiff shared an X post in July in which it promoted the British Grand Prix with a picture of Hamilton.

Kwiff’s ad was flagged by a researcher from the University of Bristol, who asked the watchdog to intervene as they believed that the ad would have a particularly strong appeal to customers under the age of 18.

Kwiff’s ad did include an “18+” warning as well as the logo of BeGambleAware, and further argued that, based on its research data, Hamilton was a figure who would more likely appeal to people over the legal gambling age.

The X post also contained a link to a blog post by Kwiff, which was the main target of the ad, seeking to inform fans about the British Grand Prix in the Silverstone race at the time, and possibly compel them to gamble.

However, ASA objected to the company’s assessment of Hamilton’s actual appeal, arguing that 150,000 Instagram followers of the F1 star were in fact under the age of 18. He was also featured in the F1 video game, which further made the matter sensitive.

Stakes High for Companies Looking for a Marketing Edge

Because of all of this, ASA insisted that Kwiff must have known that the ad would appeal to underage individuals. As to Betway’s YouTube ad, the authority concluded that it was “likely” that a “significant number of children” were able to see the ad, because many U-18s would simply enter a fake date of birth to circumvent age restrictions.

However, Betway disagreed, insisting that YouTube already utilizes safeguards against these practices that make it far less likely for anyone but the target group to see the ads.

“Our collaboration with Betway was no exception, and both parties believed the content of this advertisement was fully compliant and adhered to all guidelines,” Chelsea said, commenting on the matter through a spokesperson.