Hollywoodbets advert banned after complaint from teenager
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26 Jul 2025 •
Reading time: 3 minutes On 16 July 2025, a 16-year-old teenager saw a Hollywoodbets advert displayed on the Virtual Football League (VFL) website, an e-sports portal. His profile clearly indicated that he was a minor, yet the advert was shown to him despite this. This breach prompted the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to launch a thorough investigation.
Hollywoodbets International UK Ltd explained that the ad had been placed by its affiliate partner Clever Advertising, and that the display had been approved for non-logged-in users only. However, the teenager was logged in, which made all the difference for the ASA, which considered that the media had been poorly targeted.
Virtual Football League
Virtual Football League is an online football simulation platform where virtual teams compete in computer-generated championships. Unlike traditional betting on real sporting competitions, VFL offers fictional matches powered by artificial intelligence, accessible continuously, often 24 hours a day.
This type of content is particularly popular with fans of instant betting, as the matches are short, the results are quick, and the schedule is uninterrupted. The odds are generated automatically, in the same way as in a gambling algorithm.
A campaign deemed inappropriate and banned
The offending advertisement featured the Hollywoodbets logo and offered promotions: ‘UP TO £30 BACK AS FREE BETS + 20 FREE SPINS’, accompanied by a ‘SIGN HERE’ button and images of sportspeople (football, tennis, golf, etc.).
The ASA concluded that the content violated three points of the CAP Code relating to non-televised commercial advertising: placement, targeting and use of visuals that could appeal to minors. It ordered the immediate withdrawal of the advertisement and asked Hollywoodbets to strengthen its targeting measures to prevent exposure to under-18s.
What the current UK rules say
According to the UK CAP regulations, which came into force in April 2019, online gambling advertisements must not target or appear on websites frequented by minors, and must not use content that could attract under-18s (celebrities, youth culture, cartoons).
Since October 2022, the standards have been tightened: advertising is prohibited if it is deemed to be highly attractive to young people, even in the absence of an explicit offer or direct call to bet.
Hollywoodbets warned: what next?
The ASA insisted that Hollywoodbets implement strict targeting protocols (including the reliable use of age data and platform advertising tools) to prevent any advertising from being shown to users clearly identified as minors.
This case is part of a broader trend towards tighter regulations on gambling advertising. The United Kingdom remains one of the strictest markets, requiring advertisers to avoid any exposure to minors and to exercise caution with content associated with youth culture or celebrities.
It is also a response to health concerns: studies show that repeated exposure to gambling advertisements can increase the risk of problem gambling among adolescents. The ASA points out that even sites such as Virtual Football League, which are perceived as adult-oriented, may host minors in online sessions