Betting ads featuring Harry Kane and Erling Haaland banned over ‘high risk of strong appeal to under-18s’
Two ads from online betting platform Oddschecker, featuring leading footballers Harry Kane and Erling Haaland, have been banned because they were likely to appeal to under-18s.
In an Instagram post seen in November, Kane was depicted with the caption “Harry Kane is the most backed player to win the Ballon d’Or in 2026 (32% of bets)” alongside a trophy emoji.
The second ad featured Erling Haaland and the following text: “In the last 24 hours, Norway to win the 2026 World Cup is the most supported bet placed via oddschecker.”
The complaint, filed by a researcher from the University of Bristol, questioned whether the ads breached gambling advertising rules by featuring individuals with a strong appeal to people under the age of 18.
Cyan Blue Odds Ltd, which operates as Oddschecker, said the posts were “mainly editorial in nature rather than advertising”.
They explained that this is why they did not include the age warning and social responsibility message that would normally accompany direct gambling promotions.
The firm said it recognized the increased risk of featuring “top level” footballers and therefore set the account minimum age for over 18 years.
The ASA, which upheld the complaint, said that a large proportion of under-18s use Instagram and that there are likely to be at least a significant number of children who do not use their real date of birth when signing up.
He noted that both Kane and Haaland pose a “strong risk of appeal to under-18s.”
The ASA said: “For these reasons we concluded that the adverts were irresponsible and breached the rules.”
In a separate decision, the ASA found that an Instagram post by Betway featuring a photo of former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry did not breach advertising rules because it was unlikely to have strong appeal to under-18s.
Earlier this month, two adverts promoting British beef and milk were banned after television presenter and environmental campaigner Chris Packham complained that the products were misleading consumers about their carbon footprint.
Both adverts for the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) Let’s Eat Balanced campaign used the carbon footprint of British beef and milk to promote the products, first stating: “British beef not only tastes great, it also has a carbon footprint half the global average*.”
The asterisk is linked to text stating: “Full life cycle CO2 equivalent (carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions per kg of beef.”
The milk advert stated: “British milk not only tastes good, it is produced to first-class standards and has a carbon footprint less than a third of the global average.”
Packham complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that the adverts, and in particular their carbon footprint claims, were misleading because they did not fully reflect the environmental impact of British meat and dairy products.
AHDB said any mention of carbon emissions in advertising would be understood to relate to the environmental impacts of beef and milk that occur between the “cradle to retail” stages.
But the ASA said the average consumer who was “reasonably informed, careful and prudent” would understand claims to apply beyond the retail stage and include actions such as cooking and wasting.
