ASA Clears Betway Over Disputed Ad While Reprimanding Oddschecker

(AsiaGameHub) –   On 27 May 2026, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) exonerated Betway over a gambling commercial featuring former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry. Conversely, in another decision issued on the same date, the watchdog penalized odds comparison platform Oddschecker over social media posts showcasing Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.

Betway Cleared by the ASA

Both cases centered on whether the featured athletes possessed a “strong appeal” to minors, which is a key benchmark under the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) Code for gambling promotions. Regarding Betway, the regulator determined that Thierry Henry, who is now 48 and has been retired from the sport since 2014, is currently better known as a TV pundit rather than an active player.

The ASA also agreed with Betway’s evidence showing that the majority of Henry’s 4.32 million social media followers reside outside the UK. According to Betway, only about 19,483 UK followers are believed to be under the age of 18, a figure well below the 100,000 threshold established by CAP guidelines to define strong appeal to youth.

This is not the first instance of the ASA scrutinizing Betway. Just a few months prior, the watchdog censured the operator over an unsuitable Formula 1 advertisement, asserting that it appealed strongly to minors. On that occasion, the ASA rejected Betway’s objections and maintained its ruling.

Oddschecker Faces Regulatory Sanctions

Unlike Betway, Oddschecker was penalized after sharing Instagram posts that featured Kane and Haaland alongside betting statistics. The ASA rejected the platform’s defense that these posts constituted editorial material rather than marketing, ruling instead that they were designed to drive gambling activity on its site.

Both Harry Kane, the England national team captain and the second-highest Premier League goalscorer in history, and Erling Haaland, Manchester City’s Premier League Golden Boot winner, were deemed to have a strong draw for minors. Oddschecker argued that it had implemented age-restriction settings on its social media profile to limit access to users aged 18 and over.

Nevertheless, the ASA remained unconvinced and ordered Oddschecker to withdraw the promotions permanently. The watchdog highlighted Ofcom data from May 2025, which revealed that 76% of 16–17-year-olds are active on Instagram, and approximately 20% of under-18s on social media platforms register using falsified birthdates.