The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint over an advertisement for two in-app ads for LiveScore Bet seen on LiveScore.

The first ad, viewed on an Android device, featured text that displayed live football scores. The page also featured the LiveScore Bet logo next to an on/off toggle. When toggled on, three ‘odds’ options were displayed under each game. Each option linked through to the “LiveScore Bet” app when clicked on.

The second ad, viewed on an IOS device, featured a page which displayed football team lineups. Beneath the lineups a banner displayed text which stated, “Match odds” and “LiveScore Bet” along with three different odds that linked through to the LiveScore Bet app when clicked. Further smaller text stated, “18+ Bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org” and “Ad”.

The complainant, who understood the ads were served in the under-18 version of the app, challenged whether they had been appropriately targeted.

LiveScore Betting and Gaming (Gibraltar) Ltd t/a LiveScore Bet said they were a distinct product from the LiveScore app. However, they both operated within the same corporate structure, which was the “LiveScore Group”. They explained that LiveScore was a real-time sports data, news and content provider that did not offer gambling services whilst LiveScore Bet was a licensed online sports-betting product.

LiveScore Bet also said a technical problem in a historic IOS version of the app had resulted in gambling content being displayed to users who had selected ‘under-18’, which was why ad (b) had been seen in that version of the app.

However, they believed further testing indicated that where odds had been displayed, they did not link through to any further gambling content. They also said the current version of the app was working correctly and the issue had been confined to one IOS app version that would have impacted a small number of users.

The ASA said whilst we accepted the ads had been seen because of a technical fault, because the ads appeared in the context of a version of an app that was directed at under-18s, they did not comply with the rules on gambling advertising.

The ads must not appear in the under-18 version of the LiveScore app again. We told LiveScore Betting & Gaming (UK) Ltd to ensure their ads were appropriately targeted.