Key Moments:
- The UK Advertising Standards Authority has banned adverts featuring Sir Lewis Hamilton and the Chelsea FC logo under updated youth protection guidance.
- The regulator has introduced a benchmark of 100,000 UK under-18 social media followers as an indicator of strong youth appeal.
- Operators Betway and Kwiff have pledged full compliance following ASA rulings that their campaigns could attract minors.
Introduction of New Youth Protection Rules
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has exerted its new regulatory muscle by banning two gambling campaigns that featured prominent figures appealing to younger audiences. This marks the first significant intervention under revised guidelines designed to shield under-18s from attractive gambling promotions.
Breakdown of the Banned Campaigns
The first advertisement involved Sir Lewis Hamilton’s image in a Kwiff post on X (formerly Twitter), released ahead of the British Grand Prix. The second centered on a Betway commercial on YouTube, displaying Chelsea FC fans in branded attire, with the club crest prominently shown. The ASA determined that each campaign posed a risk due to their appeal to minors, enhanced by celebrity involvement and the platforms used.
Analysis of Hamilton’s Youth Appeal
The probe into Kwiff’s campaign was triggered following a University of Bristol researcher’s complaint, leading the ASA to scrutinize Hamilton’s global and domestic influence. With around 37.5 million Instagram followers, approximately four per cent are under 18, and nearly one in ten are UK-based. The ASA concluded this equates to about 150,000 UK followers under 18, exceeding the agency’s defined threshold for strong youth appeal.
Additional factors reinforced Hamilton’s appeal to younger audiences, including his reading of a 2024 CBeebies Bedtime Story, merchandise in children’s sizes, and his depictions within the F1 24 video game. Despite Kwiff presenting data purportedly showing no 13–17-year-old followers on its X account and only four per cent under-18s among Hamilton’s followers, the ASA discounted these figures and maintained the campaign violated the new rules.
Kwiff asserted that motorsport principally attracts adults and that the referenced X post only linked to editorial content. However, the ASA stated that editorial material is not exempt if it uses personalities with substantial youth resonance, highlighting a new compliance requirement for marketing teams exploiting sports or celebrity imagery.
Eaton Gate Gaming, operating as Kwiff, responded by removing content featuring major sports figures following a review of its accounts.
Chelsea Branding and the Betway Ruling
Betway’s YouTube advert, aired in May 2025, prominently featured Chelsea fans and the club’s crest, leading to further ASA scrutiny. Betway contended that its use of the logo was permitted under exemptions allowing depiction of subjects central to gambling activity. The ASA refuted this, judging that the match-day context and pervasive branding surpassed the intended limits of the exemption.
The regulator also noted the ad’s placement on YouTube, where self-declared age checks are standard and a large share of minors are active. Ofcom data from 2025 cited that 81 per cent of 8-to-17-year-olds use YouTube, with 22 per cent declaring themselves as 18 or older.
Given YouTube’s popularity among youth and Chelsea’s widespread appeal, the ASA asserted that Betway’s campaign was likely to attract minors. Betway warned the verdict may affect the broader landscape of gambling sponsorships in professional sports but agreed to comply fully.
Case | Advertiser | Platform | Key Factor | ASA Decision |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lewis Hamilton | Kwiff | X (Twitter) | Celebrity appeal to youth | Banned |
Chelsea FC Logo | Betway | YouTube | Club branding and match-day scene | Banned |
Industry Response and Data Trends
The ASA’s enforcement has drawn mixed reactions. Betway cautioned about potential negative impacts on sports sponsorships, while both Betway and Kwiff confirmed their intent to implement all ASA recommendations.
University of Bristol researchers highlighted the scale of gambling marketing, noting 27,440 gambling messages tracked during the 2024 Premier League’s opening weekend alone. Their research showed that 62 per cent of individuals aged 11-to-17 encountered gambling advertisements online, primarily through football and esports material. While the Betting and Gaming Council has claimed a “whistle-to-whistle” ban led to a 97 percent drop in children’s TV ad exposure, findings indicate that online advertising negates much of this benefit due to its volume.
Legal advisers are urging clubs and operators to deploy age-segmented creative campaigns and to enhance digital rights audits in response to the shifting regulatory landscape.
Implications for Gambling Marketing Compliance
The ASA’s shift from a “particular appeal” to a “strong appeal” standard means that marketing can be non-compliant if it sufficiently draws attention from under-18s, regardless of adult appeal. Providers and partners now face stricter requirements to verify the youth exposure of their campaigns, with age-measurement becoming integral to planning.
The introduction of this policy coincides with additional industry pressures, as the Premier League’s front-of-shirt gambling sponsorship ban is expected to impact clubs’ revenues from 2026-27 onward. Brands will need to optimize other partnership opportunities, including sleeve sponsorships and digital collaborations, and ensure they do not breach the new youth-appeal threshold.
Moving forward, scrutiny is likely to intensify around affiliate and influencer campaigns, especially as the ASA’s remit has recently extended to cover non-UK licensees and unpaid social promotions by operators.
Staying compliant will require selecting ambassadors with verifiable audiences, using platforms with robust age verification, and solidly separating sports content from gambling promotion.
- Author
Daniel Williams
