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Read Full BioThe UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned three ads featuring Lewis Hamilton, Gary Neville, and the Chelsea FC logo, saying they have too much appeal to minors.
The ASA ruled that the ads run by Betway, SkyBet, and Kwiff must not appear again. In addition, it warned the companies about using individuals or images that could appeal to under-18-year-olds in the future.
The ASA published the rulings on its website, noting the three ads that appeared on social media in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Ruling Sets Dangerous Precedent, Says Betway
Betway’s YouTube advert, seen in May of this year, featured football fans wearing clothes with the Chelsea badge. The company insisted the ad was targeted at over-25s through the social media platform, but the ASA said YouTube’s age verification controls are inadequate.
In its ruling, it stated, “It was likely that there was at least a significant number of children who had not used their real date of birth when signing up to YouTube.”
Betway is Chelsea FC’s Official European Betting Partner after signing a deal with the Premier League side last year. It argued that the deal gives it a contractual right to use the club’s badge and said that banning the advert could set a “damaging precedent for gambling sponsorships in sport.”
The gambling company also has deals with Premier League teams Manchester City and Arsenal. In addition, it featured on the shirts of Premier League side West Ham United until last season, drawing criticism for flagging up suspicious betting involving West Ham player Lucas Paqueta.
Paqueta was eventually cleared after a lengthy investigation into claims he had deliberately influenced betting markets by picking up yellow cards in matches. West Ham replaced Betway with another betting company, Boylesports, for this season. However, the Premier League will introduce a ban on betting sponsors appearing on the front of shirts starting next season.
Flutter Protests Ruling Against UK Brand SkyBet
The ASA also upheld a ruling against SkyBet for an ad featuring former Manchester United player Gary Neville.
The ad interlaced the SkyBet logo with clips of Neville on the Overlap podcast discussing which team might win the Premier League. SkyBet claims the podcast has just 1.2% of listeners aged 13–17 years, with that figure dropping to 0.5% for the advertised episode.
The ASA, however, said that Neville’s popularity on social media, where he has 135,000 followers who are minors, gave the ad a strong appeal to under-18s.
Gambling giant Flutter, the owner of SkyBet, protested against the ruling. The company said authorities should focus on the black market rather than nitpick over ads aimed at adults.
A spokesperson said, “We are now in a situation where a regulated operator is reprimanded over a tweet promoting a football show to over-25s while illegal black-market operators flood the internet and social media without any checks.”
As the UK prepares to increase gambling taxes, operators, including Flutter, have spoken out, claiming this will drive more users to black market sites.
Lewis Hamilton’s Appeal Enhanced After Reading Children’s Stories
The ASA similarly ruled that a Kwiff social media post on X (seen below) featuring Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton violated its code. The regulator noted that Hamilton has a large social media following, including minors.
Kwiff claims that the post was meant to drive traffic to their company blog, which is separate from their gambling platform. The company also said it believed Hamilton was older than most current Formula 1 drivers and less appealing to younger audiences.
The ASA disagreed, stating that the driver’s appearance on the UK TV show CBeebies Bedtime Stories had furthered his appeal to young people. Additionally, the seven-time F1 world champion had 150,000 Instagram followers under 18 years old based in the UK.
Other countries have implemented bans on gambling advertising in sports. The Netherlands introduced a ban earlier this year, but UK companies claim it has led to a decline in tax revenue and an increase in market share for unregulated platforms.
