Researchers accuse Midnite of breaching UK rules for gambling advertising
A complaint has been submitted to the Advertising Standards Authority.
UK.- Researchers at Bristol University have lodged a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority about promotional content created by the online betting operator Midnite. They claim that the fast-growing operator has breached rules that prohibit gambling ads from using material that would have a strong appeal to minors.
The complaint argues that content marketing on X that includes pictures and jokes involving high-profile footballers like Harry Kane, Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish breach the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) Code.
“These forms of content marketing obscure the promotional nature of the message and blur the lines between entertainment and advertising for a high-risk product,” Dr Raffaello Rossi said, as reported by ITN. “These posts appear as entertaining content, making them harder to recognise as gambling promotions and more likely to be shared widely online, especially by children.”
The researchers also noted that the CAP Code guideline prohibits the use of under-25s in gambling advertising, which would include content featuring Jude Bellingham (21), Erling Haaland (24) and the influencer IShowSpeed (20).
On the latter, they said: “He is widely recognised as a youth influencer and role model, and his inclusion in gambling ads is not only inappropriate under the CAP Code but deeply concerning given his strong resonance with under-18s”.
Founded in 2015, Midnite has a growing presence rapidly, signing deals to become the Official UK Betting & Casino Partner of the Snooker Halo World Championship and sponsor of the Southampton Football Club training kit. The operator has 70,000 followers on X and close to 50,000 on Instagram.
However, the company may need to tread carefully with its advertising. While many complaints that are upheld by the ASA typically result only in an order not to use the ad again, Stake ended up pulling out of the British market in February after the Gambling Commission placed its licence under supervision due to a promotional stunt featuring a porn star outside Nottingham Trent University.
The Bristol University researchers said they have already made four previous complaints about Midnite’s content marketing.
The ASA said in a statement: “We’re aware of the complainant’s concerns about ‘content marketing’ and we’ve been engaging with them and other stakeholders on the issue in recent months. This is a relatively new form of marketing that raises complex questions around jurisdiction and the boundaries between advertising and editorial content.
“We have investigations underway that will bring clarity to these boundary issues. In the meantime, we can confirm that this week, we received a complaint about social media posts by Midnite, and we are currently assessing it to establish what additional action to take.”
