ASA clamps down on Cheltenham Festival ad featuring OnlyFans star
Advertising watchdog warns offer compiler Festival Free Bets over use of Astrid Wett in social media ad for being under the age of 25
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has clamped down on a Cheltenham Festival ad on X, formerly Twitter, featuring a prominent OnlyFans model.
The ad, which promoted betting offer aggregator Festival Free Bets, featured an image of Astrid Wett at Prescott Park highlighting the service.
A single complainant challenged whether the ad breached rules on gambling advertising given Wett, who has more than 180,000 followers on X, was under 25 at the time.
Festival Free Bets did not respond to any of the ASA’s enquires related to the investigation, with the watchdog noting it was “concerned” by the company’s “lack of response and apparent disregard for [the rules]”.
According to the UK CAP Code, no one who is or seems to be under the age of 25 can play a “significant role” in marketing gambling products.
The ASA ruled that an image of Wett was the “central focus” of the ad and that she was 23-years-old at the time the ad was published in March this year.
While the ASA acknowledged that Festival Free Bets was not a licensed B2C operator, consumers who used the product would be “in a position where they would be interacting with gambling services”.
The regulator said: “Because the ad was for a service that was intended to facilitate gambling and featured someone who was aged under 25 playing a significant role, we concluded that it was irresponsible.”
While Festival Free Bets did not engage with the ASA, the body reported that Wett had been responsive when approached for the investigation.
The ASA said Wett was unaware of age restrictions for gambling ads and assumed being over 18-years-old was sufficient to promote such content.
The model also said she “took matters of social responsibility seriously and understood the gravity of promoting responsible behaviour, especially regarding gambling”.
Wett apologised for the breach of the CAP Code and insisted she would ensure compliance with all relevant guidelines in the future.
The ASA concluded by ruling the ad must not appear again in the form that prompted the complaint.
The body has told Festival Free Bets to ensure they do not feature individuals who are, or appear to be, under the age of 25.
The matter was also referred to the CAP Compliance team.