The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has banned two Instagram adverts posted by betting comparison site Oddschecker after ruling they were irresponsible for featuring football stars Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.
The ASA determined that both Kane and Haaland carried a high risk of strong appeal to under-18s, which caused the posts to breach the advertising code.
One post showed an image of Kane alongside the caption: “Harry Kane is the most backed player to win the Ballon d’Or in 2026 (32% of bets),” accompanied by a trophy emoji.
The second post featured Haaland with the caption: “In the last 24 hours, Norway to win the 2026 World Cup is the most-backed bet placed through oddschecker.”
Cyan Blue Odds Ltd, trading as Oddschecker, argued the posts were primarily editorial in nature rather than advertisements, which was why they carried no age disclaimer or responsible gambling message.
The company acknowledged that featuring top footballers could appeal to children and confirmed it had set its Instagram account so only users aged over 18 could view the content.
The ASA rejected that defence, noting that “at least a significant number of children who had not used their real date of birth when signing up” to Instagram would still have been able to see the posts.
The regulator concluded: “For those reasons, we concluded the ads were irresponsible and breached the code.”
The ASA investigated the November adverts following a complaint submitted by a researcher at Bristol University, who flagged the content to the watchdog.
In a separate ruling, the ASA examined another Instagram betting advert featuring a footballer and found it did not break its rules.
That advert, posted by Betway, featured former Arsenal forward and current television pundit Thierry Henry, but the ASA ruled Henry was unlikely to hold strong appeal for under-18s.
Because of that distinction, the Betway advert did not fall foul of the same code that resulted in the Oddschecker posts being banned.
The rulings highlight the ASA’s continued scrutiny of how betting operators use social media platforms and the specific risks posed by featuring active, high-profile athletes in promotional content.