Tesco Reports Fake Casino Site to City of London Police
According to reports Tesco has contacted the City of London Police on a fake Tesco casino advertised on Facebook. The Guardian stated the site claims to be the official Tesco casino built on the trust of Tesco, a FTSE 100 company with 107 years of UK trading history since 1919. A spokesperson for City of London Police told The Guardian a complaint had been received but it hadn’t been referred to a police force for investigation at this time.
SCCG Take — The incident exposes enforcement gaps that allow social media platforms to host illegal gambling ads with limited consequence. Operators and regulators should anticipate continued brand misuse until platforms face binding compliance standards.
Tesco has contacted the City of London Police after discovering a fraudulent online casino that used its brand name and imagery to target UK players. The operation appeared in Facebook ads and maintained its own page on the platform until The Guardian questioned Meta about its presence.
The site presented itself as the official Tesco casino. It promoted slot games arranged like the aisles at a Tesco Extra and invoked the trust of Tesco, a FTSE 100 company with 107 years of UK trading history since 1919. Tesco referred the matter to the National Cyber Security Centre and the Report Fraud service run by City of London Police. A police spokesperson confirmed a complaint had been received but said it had not been referred to a police force for investigation at this time.
Tesco becomes the latest brand added to a list of companies and public figures whose likenesses have been co-opted by unlicensed operators lacking Gambling Commission approval. The episode forms part of a pattern of illegal gambling advertising on social media that continues despite regulatory pressure.
Persistent Platform Failures on Illicit Ads
Meta and similar platforms face repeated criticism for hosting such content. In June the Kansspelautoriteit stated that TikTok and Meta are not doing nearly enough to address the surge in illicit advertising. Dutch trade association VNLOK filed a complaint with the European Commission over illegal gambling ads on Meta platforms. Gambling Commission Executive Director Tim Miller told iGaming Daily that platforms must do more. Miller said: “I find it almost incredible that you read in the news all of these kinds of tech billionaires competing to be the first one to put a man on Mars. They think they can deliver that. Yet, they seem to claim that they are incapable of stopping non-GamStop ads appearing on their platforms. I mean, that’s just nonsensical. If they don’t play their role – and frankly they’re not at the moment – it massively undermines the efforts that the rest of us are putting in place.”
The Enforcement Gap
The absence of immediate police referral despite a formal complaint from a major FTSE 100 company illustrates the practical limits of current enforcement against offshore digital scams. This case, drawn from reporting by The Guardian and Slot Beats, shows how quickly trusted household names can be weaponised. Regulators and brands will need to assess whether incremental complaints produce meaningful platform changes or whether stronger obligations are required to protect UK consumers from unlicensed operators.
Reporting: Slot Beats
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
Brand hijacking by unlicensed operators persists because social platforms face no binding compliance standards or meaningful enforcement.
We see this constantly: illegal ads exploit trusted brands, regulators scold platforms, nothing changes. The enforcement gap is real — no police referral yet, despite Tesco's FTSE 100 clout. Until platforms face binding liability, operators compete against ghosts, and consumers get burned. The regulatory perimeter is only as strong as its weakest enforcer.
- Fake Tesco casino ran Facebook ads posing as official branded casino until media questioned Meta
- City of London Police received complaint but has not referred it for investigation
- Pattern continues: Dutch regulator, VNLOK, and UK Gambling Commission all criticize platform inaction
SCCG angle: SCCG works across 545 partners spanning media, compliance, and tech enforcement. When brand protection or illicit competitor issues surface, we connect operators with the right regulatory intelligence, enforcement contacts, and platform accountability strategies that actually move the needle in your market.
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