UK: ASA upholds ad complaint against Hollywoodbets
A banner ad for Hollywoodbets was reportedly seen by a 16-year-old on Virtual Football League – their complaint has now been upheld.
Key points:
– Complaint lodged against Hollywoodbets is upheld by ASA
– 16-year-old reported an ad on Virtual Football League after believing they had been inappropriately targeted
– Operator told to remove ad and ensure targeting improves
A complaint lodged against operator Hollywoodbets has been upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) following an assessment.
The complaint was made by a 16-year-old who alleged that, after logging into Virtual Football League (VFL), an EA Sports FC e-sports statistic website, they were shown an advertisement for Hollywoodbets that was not age appropriate.
Hollywoodbets laid the blame at the door of its affiliate partner Clever Advertising.
The affiliate pointed out to the UK advertising regulator that the advert was approved for the pre-sign-in page of the VFL site, while the allegation was that the ad was visible after the complainant had logged in and provided their age.
While admitting the ad was not approved for the post sign-in homepage, Clever Advertising provided additional mitigation, suggesting that this type of website was more typically used by over-18s and therefore its targeting of the platform was reasonable.
The UK advertising regulator has reviewed the defences provided and deemed that the ad breached three CAP Code rules on gambling advertising, and must not be used again without further targeting work being done to minimise exposure to under-18s.
Good to know: The South African operator Hollywoodbets extended its front-of-shirt sponsorship with Brentford FC in July 2025 for a fifth year
The VFL was not itself reprimanded by the ASA and said only that it did not select the ads on its website and removed the offending banner when it was notified.
The ad itself was said to contain the Hollywoodbets logo and text stating: “UP TO £30 BACK AS FREE BETS + 20 FREE SPINS,” and a: “SIGN HERE” button.
Hollywoodbets has been reminded of its responsibility to ensure that ads are appropriately targeted.
The ASA upheld a similar complaint made against LiveScore Bet in June 2025, in a case that breached two of the three same CAP codes.
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