The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld complaints against Cyan Blue Odds Ltd, trading as Oddschecker, over two Instagram posts that breached advertising rules relating to gambling and the protection of under-18s.
ASA announced their findings and subsequent conclusion on Wednesday.
The posts, published on the company’s OddscheckerTV Instagram account in November 2025, featured prominent footballers Harry Kane and Erling Haaland and referenced betting activity, prompting regulatory intervention.
One Instagram post showcased England captain Kane with the tagline: “Harry Kane is the most backed player to win the Ballon d’Or in 2026 (32% of bets)”.
A second post featured Norwegian striker Erling Haaland and commented: “Norway are the most backed to win 2026 WC”, highlighting shortened odds and citing higher prices available with some bookmakers.
The complaint was lodged by a University of Bristol researcher who raised concerns that the posts’ use of high-profile footballers would have strong appeal to under-18s, potentially encouraging gambling among young people.
Oddschecker’s defence
Oddschecker contended that the posts constituted editorial commentary rather than direct advertising and therefore were not subject to gambling advertising rules. Those rules include the requirement to display age disclaimers and social responsibility messaging.
The company also emphasised safeguards attached to their Instagram account, which was set to a minimum age restriction of 18+ and included a bio declaration indicating the content was intended for adults.
ASA’s findings
The ASA disagreed with Oddschecker’s position. The regulator determined that because the posts:
- appeared in a non-paid-for space controlled by Oddschecker;
- explicitly referenced betting volumes and bookmaker odds;
- and seemed designed to encourage users to place bets via Oddschecker’s platform,
the posts constituted marketing communications for services facilitating gambling.
As such, they were subject to the CAP Code’s gambling advertising rules. This included social responsibility provisions under rule 1.3 of Edition 12.
The data
To assess the posts’ appeal to under-18s, the ASA applied the Code’s social responsibility tests. They drew from contemporary research on youth social media usage. The findings included:
- 52% of 13-15-year-olds and 76% of 16-17-year-olds used Instagram regularly (Ofcom data);
- Many under-18s register accounts claiming an age of 18 or older, circumventing platform age restrictions;
- Instagram’s methods, relying primarily on self-declared age combined with emerging AI checks, were not robust enough to prevent under-18 access.
Regarding content appeal, the ASA highlighted the footballers’ high profiles and popularity with young people. The regulator concluded that using these personalities in gambling-related posts was “irresponsible” due to the strong appeal to under-18s.
The ASA instructed Cyan Blue Odds Ltd not to reuse the posts in their current form. Furthermore, the company was warned against including individuals or characters with strong appeal to under-18s in future gambling advertising content.
Thierry Henry ad not appealing to under-18s
In contrast, a complaint against a Betway Instagram post featuring French coach and former player Thierry Henry was not upheld by the ASA.
The post promoted an interview with Henry, Betway’s global ambassador, discussing Arsenal’s football prospects. It displayed Betway branding, responsible gambling logos and included an 18+ symbol and a reference to GambleAware, the UK’s responsible gambling charity.
Betway argued that Henry’s prominence skews towards an older demographic; he is retired from professional football and primarily works as a pundit on mostly US-based CBS Sports. They provided data indicating his under-18 UK following on Instagram was low.
The ASA concurred that Henry’s current profile and limited exposure in UK youth media meant he was unlikely to have “strong appeal” to under-18s in the UK. Although Henry has a large overall social-media following, the portion under 18 in the UK was acceptably low per CAP guidance thresholds.
Youth and gambling advertisements
This ruling sits amid increasing regulatory scrutiny over gambling advertising’s reach to young audiences in the UK.
Current UK advertising regulations prohibit gambling marketing that is likely to attract children or young people. This includes the use of influential people who might encourage imitation. Despite that, ASA recently cleared Ladbrokes for a “Ladbucks” advertising complaint in which it was alleged that the name “Ladbucks” was reminiscent of video game currency.
Although the tokens looked similar to such currency, the ASA determined that it did not resemble the advertisements and thus did not necessarily hold strong appeal for minors.
MPs recently framed gambling advertising in the UK as a “health issue” following a report commissioned by the APPG for gambling reform. The report recommended several gambling advertising reforms including a pre-9pm watershed blanket ban.
Kathryn Evans
Kathryn covers bitesize breaking news with a primary focus on EMEA and US legislation. A proud North Walian, fluent Welsh speaker and lifelong Wrexham FC fan – long before Hollywood came calling.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/marketing-affiliates/asa-orders-removal-oddchecker-instagram-featuring-footballers/
