Tesco has reported to City of London police that its branding has been hijacked in a scheme involving unlicensed casinos advertising through Facebook and Instagram. The supermarket’s name and image were used to create a fraudulent “Tesco casino” website that falsely suggested the company had launched its own gambling operation.
Multiple household-name businesses and sports personalities have fallen victim to similar schemes. Athletes including Lewis Hamilton, Tyson Fury, Jude Bellingham, and Bruno Fernandes have had their likenesses used without consent in casino promotions, while an offshore casino even deployed an apparent lookalike of Erling Haaland as a croupier. Legitimate gambling operators including Barclays, Monzo, Coral, and Gala Bingo have also had their brands misappropriated. The scam appears designed to exploit brand recognition and consumer trust to direct people toward illegal gambling services.
The fake websites and advertisements violate UK regulations, as none of the impersonated casinos hold valid licenses to operate gambling services in Great Britain. Several sites claim licensing from jurisdictions like Curacao, a Caribbean location known as a regulatory haven for online gambling operations. While some fraudulent casinos restrict access to UK users, others remain accessible within the country and were advertised on Meta platforms.
Both the Gambling Commission and the Advertising Standards Authority have acknowledged the problem but report limited success in preventing such advertisements. Meta removed content after inquiries but contends that advertisers, rather than the platform itself, bear responsibility for regulatory compliance. Industry representatives have criticized technology platforms for continuing to profit from hosting these advertisements while unlicensed operators avoid taxation.
Tesco referred the matter to the National Cyber Security Centre and the Report Fraud service operated by City of London police. A police spokesperson indicated the complaint had been received but had not yet been assigned for investigation.
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