UK Advertising Watchdog Bans Instagram Betting Ads Featuring Harry Kane and Erling Haaland

Two Instagram advertisements for the online betting site Oddschecker, featuring prominent footballers Harry Kane and Erling Haaland, have been banned by the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ASA deemed the adverts "irresponsible" because both players possess a "strong appeal to under-18s," breaching the established advertising code.

Oddschecker, operating as Cyan Blue Odds Ltd, contended the posts were "primarily editorial in nature, rather than ads," and asserted that the company had configured its Instagram account to be accessible only to users aged 18 and over. However, the ASA dismissed this defence, citing evidence that a "significant number of children had not used their real date of birth when signing up" to Instagram, thereby exposing them to the content.

The investigation was initiated in November following a complaint lodged by a researcher at Bristol University. One advert displayed a picture of Kane, captioned: "Harry Kane is the most backed player to win the Ballon d'Or in 2026 (32% of bets)." The other featured Haaland, stating: "In the last 24 hours, Norway to win the 2026 World Cup is the most-backed bet placed through oddschecker."

The ASA concluded that both Kane and Haaland presented a "high risk of strong appeal to under-18s," affirming the ads' irresponsibility and code violation. Separately, the ASA ruled that an Instagram advert for Betway, featuring former Arsenal player and pundit Thierry Henry, did not contravene its rules, as Henry was considered unlikely to appeal strongly to individuals under 18.