The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against Hollywoodbets after their banner advert appeared on an esports website that was accessed by a registered user who was just 16-years-old.
The minimum legal age for a UK resident to use online sports betting sites or casino games is 18.
Although the advert was placed by an affiliate and not Hollywoodbets directly, the online sportsbook and casino has been warned that it must impose much stricter checks with future advertising placements to ensure that “specific targeting” is being adhered to.
Why Was The Hollywoodbets Advert Banned?
The banner ad was served on esports website The-VFL.com, the website of the Virtual Football League operated by EA Sports FC.
The banner promoting the sportsbook and online casino contained an offer of ‘UP TO £30 BACK AS FREE BETS + 20 FREE SPINS’ and contained images of athletes from various sports, together with a call-to-action button that read ‘SIGN HERE’.
It appeared on April 10, 2025, and was seen by the 16-year-old who had used their real date of birth when registering and was logged in at the time.
What Does This Mean For UK Betting Companies?
The ASA upheld the complaint even though the ad had been delivered by Clever Advertising (Playhill Ltd), a third-party affiliate and not directly by Hollywoodbets International Ltd UK.
This is a strong indicator that operators in the UK will be found in breach due to the actions of an affiliate in future.
Clever Advertising defended the action, saying that they had assessed The-VFL.com site and concluded that it was suitable for gambling advertisements as the content around 11v11 Pro Clubs gameplay was targeting an older audience.
Another factor was that EA Sports FC’s demographic data indicated that fewer than 25% of players were under 18 and Clever Advertising made it clear that the ad was only approved for display before a user had logged in.
The ASA acknowledged this fact but after reviewing the evidence ruled that the ad violated provisions of the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code).
In their assessment, the ASA stated: “Because the ad was served to a user of the website who was known to be under 18 by their registered login details, we considered that the ad was directed at those below the age of 18 through the selection of the media in which it appeared and therefore breached the Code.”
Jim Munro is a betting industry and gambling expert who has been a national newspaper journalist for over 30 years, predominantly at The Sunday Times and The Sun, where he wrote a weekly soccer betting column. Jim also worked on the launch of Virgin Bet with Gamesys and was subsequently head of editorial at LiveScore, the sports media and betting group.
