Gambling adverts featuring Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton and the Chelsea Football Club logo have been banned in the United Kingdom after regulators ruled that they could appeal to children.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) announced that the ads, produced by betting firms Kwiff and Betway, breached UK advertising rules following separate investigations into complaints.
Betway’s advert, shown on YouTube in May, featured football fans wearing clothing displaying the Chelsea badge. Kwiff’s post on X (formerly Twitter) in July promoted the British Grand Prix using an image of Lewis Hamilton.
Both companies were warned not to feature individuals or imagery that could have a strong appeal to people under the age of 18.
The BBC has contacted the two gambling firms, as well as Hamilton’s representatives and Chelsea FC, for comment.
In its ruling on Kwiff, operated by Eaton Gate Gaming, the ASA said the complaint was raised by a University of Bristol researcher who believed the post could attract under-18s. The post featured a photograph of Hamilton with the caption highlighting a “huge weekend” at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, alongside an “18+” symbol and the BeGambleAware.org logo.
Kwiff said its data suggested that Hamilton appealed mainly to an older audience and that the post was meant to promote a blog article offering editorial commentary, not gambling services. The company added that it had since reviewed its social media accounts and removed any content featuring well-known sports figures.
However, the ASA ruled that Hamilton’s significant public profile and presence across media platforms made him appealing to young people. It cited his 150,000 UK-based Instagram followers under the age of 18, his appearance in the F1 24 video game (rated suitable for ages three and above), and his role as a storyteller on the BBC’s CBeebies programme as examples of his youth appeal.
“As such, we considered that Kwiff would have been aware of the possibility that Sir Lewis Hamilton would have strong appeal to under-18s,” the ASA said.
In a separate decision, the ASA also ruled against Betway’s advert, saying that YouTube was not a suitable platform for gambling promotions because advertisers could not guarantee that under-18s would not see them.
“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,” the ASA stated.
Betway argued that, as Chelsea’s official European betting partner, it had the contractual right to use the club’s logo. The company also said that YouTube’s advertising policies already provided safeguards to limit exposure of age-restricted content to minors.
Betway added that banning the advert could set a damaging precedent for gambling sponsorships in sport.
Both rulings reflect the ASA’s growing scrutiny of gambling promotions that risk appealing to younger audiences through the use of popular athletes and football branding.
