A YouTube ad for gambling firm Betway and two Instagram posts for been banned for featuring people under 25 years old.

The YouTube video on the Betway account, seen in October, showed a car clamp prank being played on West Ham footballer Declan Rice.

A viewer complained that the ad breached advertising rules by featuring Rice, who was under 25 years old.

Betway confirmed that Rice was 20 years old. However, the firm said the video did not feature the player in a sporting context, did not refer to odds or promotions and contained no link to the Betway website where a bet could be placed, describing it as “editorial content” rather than an ad.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the video appeared on the Betway YouTube channel, featured sportsmen who consumers would be able to place bets on in the future and were wearing football shirts with a prominent Betway logo, and ended with the brand name ‘Betway’.

The watchdog said: “We therefore considered that the video was promoting the Betway brand.

“Because Declan Rice was under the age of 25, and played a significant role in the ad, we concluded that the ad breached the Code.”

A Betway spokesman said: “Although the prank was genuinely intended as a stunt for content purposes rather than an advert, Betway fully accept the ASA ruling and have already removed the video.”