Betway gets red card for ads on West Ham kids site

Online gambling business Betway – the official sponsor of West Ham United FC – has been slapped with a £408,915 fine for running marketing on the children’s pages of club’s website.

The penalty, issued by the Gambling Commission, follows an investigation which revealed that for the 19 months between April 2020 and November 2021 the Betway’s gambling logo, which linked to its website, was displayed on a webpage offering the opportunity to print a teddy bear for children to colour in.

The Commission also found the logo with a link to the operator’s site featured on the ‘Young Hammers at Home’ webpage between October 2021 and November 2021.

Both advertisements breached Commission rules stating gambling advertising must be socially responsible.
Gambling Commission Director of Enforcement Leanne Oxley said: “Protecting children from gambling harm is at the heart of what we do.

“Although there is no suggestion that the operator was deliberately targeting children, or that children had been allowed to gamble, we take the breach of any rules aimed at protecting children extremely seriously.

“We note the remedial actions since taken by licensee but advise all operators to learn from this case and ensure that they take responsibility and have the correct processes in place so that websites directed at children do not include advertisements for gambling.”

Earlier this year, the Commission has issued a stark warning to betting companies to tighten up their marketing operations or face hefty fines after whacking Sky Betting & Gaming, 888, and Bet Victor with penalties totalling nearly £12m for targeting problem gamblers.