An advert featuring Lewis Hamilton has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority.

The advert featuring Lewis Hamilton was seen ahead of the British Grand Prix (Image: GETTY)

A gambling advert featuring Lewis Hamilton has been banned after a complaint was made to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Earlier this year, online sports betting firm Kwiff used an image of the Ferrari driver in a social media post ahead of the British Grand Prix. It also featured a banner across the bottom carrying an 18+ symbol and the BeGambleAware.org logo.

The complainant, a researcher from the University of Bristol, suggested the advert included an individual who was likely to appeal to under-18s. The challenge was upheld by the ASA, who determined that Hamilton would strongly appeal to children given that he is followed on Instagram by 150,000 people under the age of 18. This figure would only be increased by additional under-18 followers on platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.

A spokesperson for the ASA said: “We acknowledged that Sir Lewis Hamilton was primarily famous for his association with an adult-oriented sport but considered he was very well known to a general UK audience, including to children and young people.

“We considered, based on his public profile, commercial partnerships, media appearances and UK under-18 social media following, that he had strong appeal to under-18s. For those reasons, we concluded the ad was irresponsible and breached the code.”

Eaton Gate Gaming, trading as Kwiff, said their data indicated that Hamilton would appeal to an older audience rather than those aged under 18.

They added that their social media accounts had been reviewed and any content displaying mainstream sportspeople had been removed.

The ASA also banned a YouTube advert for Betway which featured football fans wearing clothing and scarves displaying the Chelsea logo.

Betway argued they had a contractual right to use the Chelsea logo given their role as the club’s official European betting partner. They said that if the advert was banned, it would set a dangerous precedent for gambling sponsorships in sport.

The ASA said it would have been acceptable for the logo to appear in a standalone context, but its depiction on clothing and scarves worn by fans in the advert warranted a ban.

They explained: “We considered that the depiction of the team logo in an ad that showed a stadium experience for fans was likely to strongly appeal to children and young people who supported Chelsea FC or followed football more widely.

“We further considered that its appearance in that context went beyond any permitted exemption for identifying content and, therefore, was likely to be of strong appeal to under-18s.

“The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Betway to ensure that future ads did not contain content of strong appeal to those under 18 years of age.”

Betway responded: “We have fully cooperated with the investigation and will continue to take proactive steps to ensure that all recommendations and findings are implemented.

“Betway has absolutely no interest in marketing to children or young people. All of our content undergoes a rigorous multi-stage review process before publication.

“This particular video was subject to the same thorough checks and was believed to be fully compliant with the latest industry guidelines. We would never knowingly produce or release any content that breaches those rules.”