ASA Bans Hollywoodbets Ad After It Reaches Under-18 User

This decision has been made after a 16-year-old came into contact with the ad while logged into The-VFL.com, a website that is dedicated to showing esports statistics and virtual football competitions linked to the EAFC video game .

A complaint was made to the ASA, who ruled that Hollywoodbets had inadequately prevented the ad from reaching underage audiences, breaching the CAP Code, which governs non-broadcast marketing in the UK.

The advert contained the Hollywood Bets logo, with text stating “UP TO £30 BACK AS FREE BETS + 20 FREE SPINS” paired with a bright “SIGN HERE” button. The advert also featured images of athletes in a collage, including a footballer, a jockey, a golfer, a tennis player, and an American footballer – all in sports kits.

The advert is similar to no deposit bonuses you can find across the internet, but the context of the situation is where lines begin to blur. The content itself was fine, but it’s the fact that the underage complainant was logged in to The-VFL.com website under their correct date of birth. The ASA concluded that the ad shouldn’t have appeared on the site at all, passing the blame on to Hollywoodbets (via its affiliate).

The ad was served through an affiliate called Clever Advertising, not coming directly from Hollywoodbets themselves. Responding to the complaint, Clever Advertising immediately defended its decision, arguing that The-VFL.com was structured to mirror the layout and tone of mainstream sports leagues, claiming this typically appeals to older, more mature people.

It was also emphasised that VFL’s structure required a whole team to coordinate and schedule fixtures, which suggests the platform needed an existing level of commitment and discipline, more skewed towards adult users.

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.”

This meant overall that there was a clear breach of the CAP Code, this code strictly prohibits gambling marketing from being directed towards under-18s in any form.

Hollywoodbets has been ordered by the ASA to never run their ads again unless they’re put in place using more rigid targeting controls, preventing minors from seeing them altogether.

Whilst this breach in particular may have been unintentional, it’s a stern reminder for other operators and affiliates of what can go wrong if attention isn’t paid to marketing or responsible gambling regulations.

For bettors in the UK, this is a great sign that the ASA is keeping a watchful eye over gambling ads and their prevalence online towards younger audiences.