Tesco has reported a scam to City of London police after unlicensed casinos used the supermarket's branding without permission in adverts run on Facebook and Instagram, becoming the latest in a growing list of companies and sports stars whose images have been hijacked. Barclays, Lewis Hamilton, Tyson Fury and footballers including Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Bruno Fernandes have all had their names, faces or likenesses used by offshore gambling operators seeking to exploit trusted brands to promote services that are illegal to offer in Britain. The issue highlights ongoing failures by the Gambling Commission, the Advertising Standards Authority and Meta to stop the ads spreading despite awareness of the problem.

A fake "Tesco casino" advert and Facebook page, taken down only after the Guardian contacted Meta, linked to a website still live in the UK that falsely claimed official ties to the FTSE 100 firm and lacked the licence required to operate gambling services in Britain. Tesco referred the matter to the National Cyber Security Centre and Report Fraud, though police say it has not yet been passed to a force for investigation. Other examples include an offensive AI-generated "Barclays Slots" advert condemned by the bank, fake "Monzo slots" branding described by the bank as an AI-enabled scam, and a Haaland lookalike promoting the crypto casino Rainbet, which claims an Anjouan licence. Meta says it removed the ads once questioned but maintains advertisers, not its platforms, bear responsibility for regulatory compliance.