Bookmakers and betting operators will be given until September to implement the new rules on deposit limits in their websites and apps. The original deadline was June 30, however following feedback from operators, it became clear that more time was needed to roll-out the technical aspects of the new requirements.
That will conclude the second phase of the Gambling Commission’s revamped Remote Gambling and Software Technical Standards (RTS), which were first announced last October in a bid to improve player welfare and choice.
Setting New Limits
The idea behind the updated RTS was to provide punters and players with more tools with which to remain in control of their betting. Originally, the June deadline was set – timed, no doubt, to coincide with the World Cup. However, ‘further operator technical development time’ has been cited as a reason for pushing back the cut-off date to September.
By then, betting sites must have the technology in place to allow punters to set their own gross deposit limit – or reintroducing it to them as an option in their account, with this option given ‘at least equal prominence’ to other deposit limit choices provided.
As of September 30, only this gross deposit limit will be offered to customers over a fixed term period; other limit options can be deployed over rolling or fixed timeframes as the individual player wants.
These new guidelines follow the initial phase of changes last October, which required punters to set a limit prior to their first deposit with an operator, provide reminders every six months to set a deposit limit and also update homepage designs to provide direct access to limit-setting functionality.
ASA Cracks Down on Football Ads Ahead of the World Cup
Meanwhile, the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has banned two promotional posts on Instagram from Oddschecker for being ‘irresponsible’ and appealing to under 18s. The odds comparison site posted that Harry Kane was the most-backed player to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, as well as revealing that Norway to win the World Cup was their most bet-upon selection – alongside an image of Erling Haaland.
Ads with ‘Strong Appeal to Under-18s’ Prohibited
The ASA ruled that the posts breached their code of conduct as they held ‘strong appeal to under-18s’. Oddschecker, via their parent company Cyan Blue Odds, had argued that the content was ‘primarily editorial in nature, rather than ads’, while curating the posts with an 18+ age limit.
However, that was held not be a suitable defence as many Instagram users, say the ASA, have signed up for an account with the social media platform using a false date of birth – with Meta, the owner of Instagram, deploying a system of age verification checks that isn’t ‘robust’ enough.
Evaluating a Player’s Social Media Audience
Any UK-based footballer, who plays for a ‘top club’, the national team or in competitions of significance, would be considered as holding a strong appeal with under-18s. Consequently, both Kane and Haaland were considered to be ‘high risk’ when it comes to advertorial or gambling-related content. The ruling reads:
Marketing communications for gambling products must not be likely to be of strong appeal to children or young persons, especially by reflecting or being associated with youth culture.
They must not include a person or character whose example was likely to be followed by those aged under 18 years or who had strong appeal to those aged under 18.
The Ad with Thierry Henry
Meanwhile, a separate ad posted on Instagram by Betway did not suffer the same fate. The ASA determined that the advertorial, which featured former Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry, did not appeal to under-18s in the same way as the Frenchman hasn’t played professional football for a number of years. The ruling from the ASA reads:
We therefore considered that he would not have been of strong appeal to under-18s because of his career as a footballer at the time the ad was seen and that he was more likely to be recognised as a TV sports pundit.
Ads featuring pundits can still breach CAP Guidance (Committee of Advertising Practice) where the individual has a large following amongst under-18s on social media, or where the content has the potential to become virally popular online.
The agency found that Henry had fewer than 20,000 followers on his Instagram feed that were under 18 and based in the UK, while his appearances on TV were largely as a match analysis and pundit – meaning that ‘any such viral clips involving Thierry Henry were unlikely to make him of strong appeal to under-18s.’