Tesco reports scam casino ads exploiting its brand to police

Tesco has reported to City of London police that its brand was hijacked by an unlicensed online casino advertising through Facebook and Instagram. The supermarket joins a growing list of well-known businesses and sports personalities, including Barclays and Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton, whose images have been used without permission to promote gambling sites that cannot legally operate in Britain.

A fake "Tesco casino" appeared on Facebook, complete with its own page, until the Guardian contacted Meta with questions about it. The ad linked to a website claiming to be the "official Tesco casino," which compared its slot games to the layout of a Tesco Extra store, despite lacking the required UK gambling licence.

Tesco declined to comment directly but referred the matter to the National Cyber Security Centre and the police's fraud reporting service. City of London police confirmed receiving the complaint but said it had not yet been assigned to a force for investigation.

Other brands have faced similar impersonation. Barclays' identity was used alongside Hamilton's image in casino promotions, while Monzo's branding was exploited in what the bank called an AI-enabled scam. Boxer Tyson Fury publicly denied any connection to a casino using his name, and a crypto casino called Rainbet used an apparent lookalike of footballer Erling Haaland dressed in a Norway shirt.

Both the Gambling Commission and the Advertising Standards Authority say they are aware of the issue but have struggled to stem the tide of such ads. The commission expects to gain expanded powers this autumn to remove unlicensed gambling websites targeting UK consumers. Meta removed the ads after being contacted by the Guardian, though it maintains that advertisers bear responsibility for complying with local regulations rather than the platform itself.