The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint made against Hollywoodbets over an advert that featured on The-VFL, an EA Sports FC esports statistic website and forum.
The ad in question, which was seen on 10 April 2025, featured the operator’s logo, alongside text that read: “UP TO £30 BACK AS FREE BETS + 20 FREE SPINS”, accompanied by a “SIGN HERE” button.
It also showed images of sportspeople, including a footballer, a tennis player, a golfer, an American footballer and a jockey riding a horse.
The advertising watchdog received a single complaint from an under-18 that had registered their date of birth on the website when creating a profile.
The complainant, aged 16, questioned whether the advert was appropriately targeted, given it was visible to those under the legal gambling age.
In response to the complaint, Hollywoodbets said the advert was actually placed on the site by its affiliate partner, Clever Advertising.
The affiliate noted The-VFL hosted the Virtual Football League, which enabled players to participate in organised competitive fixtures modelled on action seen in real-world football leagues and therefore was closer to traditional sports, where consumers are already accustomed to seeing gambling ads.
It also argued that The-VFL’s gameplay required skills such as team coordination, scheduling and commitment, which are more commonly seen in players aged 18 and over.
Factoring in the site’s content and gameplay functions, Clever Advertising claimed that the ad had been appropriately placed.
It added that the company has a team tasked with manually reviewing sites to match content with appropriate audiences based on interest, age and location.
According to the latest demographic data for the EA Sports FC video game, those under-18 accounted for less than 25% of the demographic, prompting Clever Advertising to run the ads.
The affiliate detailed how the ad was approved to feature on The-VFL homepage, meaning users would have seen it before logging in, but not after.
Meanwhile, The-VFL added that it does not choose the ads that appear on its site and once made aware of the complaint, it contacted partners to have it removed.
When outlining the reasons behind why the complaint was upheld, the ASA said the CAP Code states that all gambling-related marketing communications must not be directed at those under the age of 18 via “the selection of media or context in which they appeared”.
The authority acknowledged Clever Advertising’s argument that the ad was only approved to display before a user logged in, but given the complainant was signed in, the ASA considers it to have been targeted to those under the legal gambling age.
The ASA has informed Hollywoodbets the ad must not be deployed again without more advanced targeting to reduce the risk of those aged under 18 from being exposed to it, while reminding the operator to ensure all future ads are appropriately targeted.
Earlier this month, the advertising regulator upheld three complaints made against Play’n GO over banner adverts deemed “likely to strongly appeal” to children.
The post Hollywoodbets warned over future ad targeting after ASA upholds complaint first appeared on EGR Intel.
A banner ad from the operator was shown on a forum for EA Sports FC video game and was seen by a user under the age of 18, breaching regulations
The post Hollywoodbets warned over future ad targeting after ASA upholds complaint first appeared on EGR Intel.