Advertising watchdog bans betting ad from self-exclusion searches

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the UK's advertising regulator, upheld a complaint against betting comparison site Optival Ltd. The company's search ad, published on 10 August 2026, appeared when a user searched for "self exclusion bookies," meaning information on self-exclusion from betting companies. The ASA said this search indicated the person wanted to limit or stop gambling altogether.

The ad, under the heading "Top 15 betting sites," highlighted exclusive first bet bonuses and welcome offers. Optival argued that, as a comparison site, it does not accept bets and only directs users to betting companies. However, the ASA found that the ad effectively promoted online betting services.

The company said the term had not been deliberately targeted. It stated that Google Ads search term reports showed no exact match, and that it used negative keyword lists blocking self-exclusion, GamStop and problem gambling terms. Describing the incident as an isolated case caused by machine learning based query matching, Optival committed to expanding its exclusion criteria.

The ASA did not find the controls the company had in place at the time sufficiently robust. The panel said there was a strong likelihood that vulnerable consumers may have been targeted unknowingly. This was ruled a breach of Rule 1.3 of the CAP Code, Version 12, which governs social responsibility, and the ad was ordered not to appear again in similar searches.