The UKs Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has directed LeoVegas to remove its BetUK sports betting radio advertisement, which was deemed “irresponsible” and potentially attractive to minors.

The commercial, which was broadcast in September 2023, featured former professional soccer player Adebayo Akinfenwa discussing his role as a BetUK brand representative. Akinfenwa emphasized the various safe gambling tools BetUK provides to players, including deposit limits, scheduled reality checks, and setting timeouts. He also urged players to “always gamble responsibly with BetUK.” However, the ASA received a complaint alleging that the ad could appeal to individuals under 18, questioning whether the ad featured a figure with strong appeal to children, thereby violating the BCAP code. LeoVegas and BetUK dismissed the complaint, stating in their response that they did not believe the advertisement appealed to those under 18. They pointed out that Akinfenwa, being 41 years old and retired, was unlikely to be popular with children. Additionally, they mentioned that Akinfenwa had played in lower leagues throughout his career, not top leagues, thus suggesting the ad’s appeal to those under 18 would be minimal.

BetUK maintained that Akinfenwa’s public persona, beyond the realm of football, doesn’t indicate a powerful attraction to youngsters. They also pointed out his apparel line, which lacks any items designed for children.

Akinfenwa possesses social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Snapchat. On Instagram, 8% of his followers are under 18, while on Snapchat, it’s 18%. Age data for Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok is unavailable.

BetUK further asserted that the advertisement lacked a childish tone and was broadcast on a radio program likely to have a mature audience. Radiocentre, the UK radio advertising organization, concurred with BetUK.

Despite these arguments, the ASA upheld the complaint, citing the BCAP code. This code specifies that gambling advertisements shouldn’t strongly appeal to children or young people. Advertisements also shouldn’t feature characters or personalities that could attract those under 18.

The ASA acknowledged that Akinfenwa plays outside the top league, which BCAP guidelines categorize as “low risk.” However, they added that players can be considered “medium risk” due to their social media presence. Based on this, the ASA stated that Akinfenwa could be appealing to children.

The ASA further clarified their decision by referencing Akinfenwa’s overall image.

This encompasses his fame stemming from his physical prowess, which elevated him to the pinnacle of strength in various editions of the FIFA video game, a popular pastime among youngsters.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) expressed their belief that his public image, cultivated through media coverage and self-promotion, could inspire some football enthusiasts to view him as a role model within the sport.

“Consequently, we are of the opinion that his media persona, coupled with what we perceive as an unusually high level of notoriety for a former lower-league player, would place him in the ‘medium risk’ category of the guidelines.”

Concerns regarding social media following
Regarding his online presence, data sourced from Instagram and Snapchat, provided by BetUK, indicates that at least 157,000 followers were under the age of 18 at the time of analysis.

The BCAP guidelines stipulate that “generally, a substantial social media following that attracts a considerable number of individuals under the age of 18, which can be ascertained through quantitative or qualitative analysis, is likely to be deemed an indicator of ‘strong’ appeal”. The ASA asserted that this criterion applies to Akinfenwa.

“We are convinced that over 157,000 followers under the age of 18, with the actual figure potentially exceeding this due to missing data from other social media platforms, constitutes a considerable number in absolute terms,” the ASA stated.

Although Akinfenwa’s professional journey and public persona as a minor league competitor would typically be classified as “moderate risk” on their own, we label it as “high risk” due to his substantial following of minors on social media platforms stemming from his career and image. He is likely to hold significant appeal to those under the age of eighteen.

The Advertising Standards Authority, in their decision regarding the case, stated that the advertisement violated regulations concerning gambling within the BCAP Code (Edition 12), specifically rules 17.4 and 17.4.5.

Consequently, the authority declared that the advertisement must not reappear in its present form. The ASA also recommended that LeoVegas Gaming and BetUK refrain from showcasing individuals or characters possessing a strong attraction to minors in any future promotional materials.

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