Two adverts on Instagram which featured football stars Harry Kane and Erling Haaland were banned for being “irresponsible”, according to the UK’s advertising watchdog. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) stepped in, stating these ads for an online betting site were a breach of their code. Why? Because Kane and Haaland have a “strong appeal to under-18s”. It’s a serious issue, folks.
Oddschecker, the company behind the ads, tried to defend itself by claiming the posts were “primarily editorial in nature, rather than ads” and that they had set their account to 18-plus. But the ASA wasn’t having it. They pointed out that a “significant number of children” might not have used their real date of birth when signing up for Instagram. Talk about a loophole!
The ASA took a closer look at these adverts back in November after receiving a complaint from a researcher at Bristol University. One of the ads showed a picture of Kane with a caption stating, “Harry Kane is the most backed player to win the Ballon d’Or in 2026 (32% of bets),” complete with a trophy emoji. The other featured Haaland and mentioned that “In the last 24 hours, Norway to win the 2026 World Cup is the most-backed bet placed through oddschecker.” Can you believe it?
Cyan Blue Odds Ltd, which is doing business as Oddschecker, admitted that featuring top footballers could indeed appeal to kids. They insisted, however, that these posts were more like general “editorial” content. That’s why they didn’t include any age disclaimer or a responsible gambling message. But the ASA wasn’t convinced. They deemed Kane and Haaland to be a high risk of having a strong appeal to under-18s, ultimately concluding that the ads were irresponsible and violated their code.
In a separate investigation, the ASA found another Instagram ad featuring a footballer that didn’t break any rules. This one was for Betway and included a picture of former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry. The ASA decided he was unlikely to appeal strongly to under-18s, so it passed their code without issue.
Meanwhile, parents are left wondering if the government will take strong enough action against such ads. Rhun ap Iorwerth mentioned that schools would be allowed to make their own decisions, hinting at a potential ban expected for England. A group of teenagers even claimed that they need social media “to survive,” while one school head called the situation “a disaster.”
It’s a tricky balance, folks. Social media platforms were once just about friends connecting. Now, it seems like the goal is to keep us scrolling longer to boost ad revenue. What’s next? Are we going to see more regulations aimed at protecting our youth from online gambling? Let’s keep an eye on this…
Kaynak: Orijinal Haber