The social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, has banned gambling firms from using their paid promotions offering. It means that betting operators will no longer be able to run targeted, paid-for ads on the platform.
While they will still be allowed to advertise on X, all promotional posts must be ‘organic’ – i.e. unpaid – and clearly labelled with the necessary ‘ad’ or ‘promoted’ tags. It’s another blow for the gambling sector in the UK, which is already counting the cost of tightened regulation and increased taxes in 2026.
Social Faux Pas
A paid promotion on X is described as an ad in which a ‘person of influence’, be it a sporting star, a social media influencer or content creator, promotes the products and services of a third-party company. Many sectors fall into the safe category, for which X allows such ads to be run, but it has now moved gambling from its unrestricted camp to the prohibited industries list, which also includes ‘adult art’, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, weapons and contraceptives.
X’s Definition of ‘Gambling’
And X’s definition of ‘gambling’ covers the broad spectrum of products, including sports betting, casino games, lotteries and bingo. Social media has been a key advertising medium for betting brands, although there are many critics of the scheme – based upon how their algorithm is engineered, users under the age of 18 can be subject to gambling ads if they engage with a lot of sports content, for example.
Loophole
There’s also a loophole that enables betting firms to promote their products and promotions during live football matches – circumnavigating the ‘whistle to whistle’ ban instigated voluntarily by operators back in 2019, which prohibits them from advertising during televised games before the 9pm watershed.
Advertisements
Since this announcement, X has confirmed that gambling brands will still be able to pay to advertise on the platform – but they won’t be able to utilise the leverage of influential persons to act as brand ambassadors on the platform. It means that the platform will also fall into line with UK advertising law, with the Committee for Advertising Practice banning anybody with a ‘strong appeal’ to an under-18 audience from promoting gambling products back in 2022.
Significant Downturn
It’s estimated that X has around 20 million active users in the UK, although the platform has experienced a significant downturn in user numbers since Elon Musk took the helm in 2023. And this latest move is seen by some as strategizing on the part of Musk: X has a partnership agreement in place with prediction market provider Polymarket, while their main rival Kalshi has also penned a deal with Musk’s artificial intelligence outfit xAI.
Tactical Ploy
With prediction markets seen as a disruptor and competitor to traditional sports betting, Musk’s latest move to ban gambling firms from using influencers in their ads might be considered a tactical ploy. At the time of writing, paid-for influencer ads are still allowed on Facebook and Instagram, which have an estimated 55 million and 35 million active users, respectively.
Under the Influence
Persons of influence as diverse as Cristiano Ronaldo, John Terry, Mike Tyson and Drake have been leveraged by gambling firms on social media. Former Chelsea and England footballer Terry has acted as a brand ambassador for start-up Lebom, filming himself and friends using the platform at home.
Drake’s Stake
Drake’s connection with Stake is a little seedier, with the Canadian rapper betting millions of dollars through the platform on sports and casino games – including a $1 million bet (£740,000) on the recent Super Bowl LX, which lost. It has been claimed that Drake earns as much as $100 million (£74 million) a year from Stake as their premier ambassador, with plenty of content featuring the 39-year-old appearing on their social media channels – including X.
But not anymore, of course… Stake has long been in the crosshairs of X anyway, having engaged in a viral marketing campaign in which their brand watermark appeared on a series of meme videos – many of which were pornographic or offensive in nature. After losing a series of high-profile sponsorship deals, Stake was effectively turfed out of the UK market in February 2025.
YouGov Study
Mind you, all of this may come as a blessing in disguise for betting brands that have previously leaned on influencers. A YouGov study, published in January, 42% of gamblers polled in America revealed that watching a celebrity-fronted advert had ‘no influence’ on their choice of bookmaker or betting site. That’s one way the beleaguered UK gambling sector can save a few quid, then…