Tesco has reported to police that its brand has been illicitly used in an online gambling scam, marking the latest high-profile company to have its image appropriated by unlicensed casinos advertising on social media platforms. The supermarket chain joins other well-known businesses and sports figures targeted by operators seeking to exploit their brand recognition, despite lacking licenses to legally offer gambling services in the United Kingdom.
The fraudulent activity involves advertisements hosted on Facebook and Instagram, both owned by Meta, which falsely suggest that these brands have launched or endorsed online casinos. Alongside Tesco, prominent sports personalities including Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, footballers Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland, and boxer Tyson Fury have had their names and likenesses used without consent. In particular, an offshore gambling site named Rainbet employed a lookalike of Haaland acting as a croupier, although its services are not accessible to users in the UK.
Tesco’s counterfeit “casino” was promoted via a dedicated Facebook page and linked to a website claiming to be “the official Tesco casino.” The site emphasized the brand’s long-standing UK presence and presented its slot games as “laid out as clearly as the aisles at a Tesco Extra.” However, it held no licence from the UK Gambling Commission, a mandatory requirement for legal gambling operations in Great Britain.
The supermarket declined to comment directly but referred the incident to the National Cyber Security Centre and the City of London Police’s Report Fraud service. A spokesperson for the police stated they had received Tesco’s complaint but had not escalated it for further investigation “at this time.”
Barclays was another victim of this impersonation trend, with one now-removed Facebook advertisement for “Barclays Slots” featuring an AI-generated female character interacting with a casino game branded under the bank’s name. Barclays confirmed it had no involvement with such material and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting customers from misleading use of its intellectual property.
Similarly, Monzo’s brand was exploited in ads promoting fake casinos described by the online bank as “AI-enabled scams.” Monzo issued warnings to customers to remain vigilant in the face of such deceptive marketing.
Meta said it removed the suspect advertisements following media inquiries but has maintained that compliance with local laws is the responsibility of advertisers, not the platform itself.
Tyson Fury addressed the issue on Instagram, denying any endorsement of gambling promotions and stating he had previously rejected lucrative offers from gambling companies. There is no evidence that the fake Fury-branded casino was promoted via Meta’s platforms.
The UK Gambling Commission and the Advertising Standards Authority are aware of the growing issue but have struggled to stem the rise of these rogue operators. The commission condemned the misuse of trusted brands to attract users to unlicensed gambling, describing it as a “particularly cynical” tactic. It noted forthcoming enhanced regulatory powers from the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which will strengthen its ability to take down unlawful gambling websites.
While the commission focuses on illegal gambling activity, it does not have jurisdiction over intellectual property infringement and is collaborating with the ASA on that front.
Representatives for Erling Haaland and Lewis Hamilton have been contacted for comment.