Twitter has detached bookmaker William Hill's branding from the #ItsComingHome hashtag following England's victory over Sweden amid concerns the social network is delivering gambling ads to children. William Hill had sponsored the hashtag since the start of the tournament, but its usage has greatly increased due to England's progression into the semi finals with thousands of memes referencing the hit song appearing on the social network. With its attachment to the hashtag, which looks to have been used tens of thousands of times, William Hill was at risk of reaching children – with Twitter policy allowing users over the age of 13 to have accounts. As the picture above demonstrates, the hashtag has also been widely shared by some leading UK brands, including the Beano magazine, which would be expected to carry a young audience. Advertising execs leaned on the social network to decouple the bookmaker from the hashtag. They said Twitter had obliged with their demands to remove the branding. Twitter would no offer comment on the incident. William Hill is still to respond to The Drum's request.
Twitter removed William Hill ’s branding from the # ItsComingHome hashtag due to concerns its popularity while the ads were being delivered to customers . Usage of the hashtag grew significantly as England progressed through the World Cup tournament , with many UK brands like the Beano brand adopting it . Twitter ’s policy allows users over 13 years old to have an account , and following feedback from Twitter executives , the social media platform announced the decision to remove the bookmaker 's branding from the hashtag .