Two Instagram advertisements for the online betting platform Oddschecker featuring footballers Harry Kane and Erling Haaland have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for being likely to appeal to under-18s.
The first ad, posted in November on the oddscheckertv account, showed a photo of Kane with 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 featured Manchester City striker Erling Haaland with text stating: 'In the last 24 hours, Norway to win the 2026 World Cup is the most-backed bet placed through oddschecker.'
A researcher from Bristol University challenged whether the ads breached gambling advertising rules by featuring individuals likely to be of strong appeal to under-18s. Oddschecker argued the posts were 'primarily editorial in nature, rather than ads' and had set the account to a minimum age of 18-plus. However, the ASA noted that a large proportion of under-18s use Instagram and many may not have provided their real date of birth.
The ASA concluded that both Kane and Haaland 'to be a high risk of strong appeal to under-18s', making the ads irresponsible and in breach of the code. In a separate ruling, an Instagram post from Betway featuring former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry was not banned as he was deemed unlikely to be of strong appeal to under-18s.
