Two Instagram adverts for 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 posts, seen in November, promoted bets on the Ballon d'Or and the 2026 World Cup.
The first post showed 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 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 the ads, arguing they breached gambling rules by using individuals with strong appeal to children. Oddschecker claimed the posts were editorial, not adverts, and had set the account to an 18-plus minimum age. However, the ASA noted that many under-18s use Instagram and may not provide their real birth dates.
The ASA ruled that both Kane and Haaland “were 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 Thierry Henry was not banned, as the former Arsenal striker was deemed unlikely to appeal strongly to under-18s.
