AI System to Target Illegal Gambling Ads During World Cup

^{CAP's AI monitoring system will scan for illegal gambling ads during the 2026 World Cup. (Image: Pixabay/tungnguyen0905)}

By Daniel Smyth

The Gambling Commission, along with the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), is using AI to tackle illegal gambling adverts in the UK.

As part of a £26 million government funding package allocated to strengthen enforcement against illegal gambling, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is supporting CAP's AI-driven monitoring initiative. The new Active Ad Monitoring system goes live on June 11, the same day the 2026 FIFA World Cup starts.

CAP Code breaches to incur UKGC fines

The notice to licensed gambling operators in the UK states that adverts with "strong appeal to those under 18" are illegal under CAP Code 16.3.12. The code covers all forms of paid and non-paid advertising, including social media posts.

CAP has advised operators that it will deploy its new AI-powered Active Ad Monitoring system on June 11. Operators found to be in breach of CAP Code 16.3.12 will be required to amend or remove the offending adverts.

Operators that fail to do so will be referred to the UKGC and subject to disciplinary action, which may include fines. Previous fines have exceeded £400,000 per regulatory breach. For example, in 2022, Betway was fined £408,915 after an investigation found copies of its logo on the children's pages of West Ham United Football Club's website. Betway subsequently removed the advertising and tightened up its marketing rules.

The UKGC is hoping the threat of fines, in tandem with AI-powered monitoring software, will prevent illegal gambling adverts during the summer World Cup.

AI to monitor busy summer of betting

With the top legal online casinos in the UK also running sportsbooks, the latest notice is particularly important. A study by Optimove estimated that 250 million bets were made during the 2022 World Cup.

Although the study covered multiple global sportsbook brands, the UK is one of the biggest individual markets. That means the coming weeks are going to be a particularly active time for licensed UK gambling sites.

The UKGC is relying on CAP's Active Ad Monitoring system to catch the majority of infractions without human intervention. The system is comprised of two automated components:

• Ad capture – the system scrapes ads from social media, search and display using public sources, in-house monitoring tools and proprietary data.
• AI-based filtering – machine learning models are trained to identify ads that are likely to be non-compliant and potentially appealing to minors.

Adverts highlighted by the system are passed through to a team of experts who conduct a final assessment. Non-compliant ads are flagged and responsible parties notified.

CAP won't tolerate indirect infractions

One area the UKGC and CAP are particularly concerned about is the use of celebrities. In the note to operators, CAP outlined six examples of previous infractions involving adverts that targeted under-18s either directly or indirectly.

Indirect infractions include the use of celebrities, including ex-footballers, who have a "significant number of under-18 followers".

With automated monitoring in place from the tournament's opening day, operators that have not already reviewed their advertising for World Cup activity should do so now.