ASA issues gambling ad rulings for White Hat Gaming and Midnite

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK has concluded two separate decisions regarding two gambling advertisements run by White Hat Gaming and Midnite with one advertisement being cleared and the other one being banned. The ASA declared the gambling operator White Hat Gaming innocent when two of its advertisements for Casimba and The Grand Ivy Casino were displayed on HLTV while the coverage was being broadcasted live. The ASA did not find any evidence that the advertisements were aimed at individuals under the age of eighteen. Meanwhile, the gambling company Midnite was ruled in violation of gambling advertising regulations because a TikTok video exhibited an AI character who appeared to be under the age of twenty-five. ASA clears White Hat Gaming ads The case about White Hat Gaming refers to the two display ads with WI logo on the HLTV site during Counter-Strike 2 live streaming. The advertisements contained welcome offers with “100% MATCH BONUS UP TO £100 ON 1ST DEPOSIT” phrases and featured age restriction logos. White Hat Gaming stated that the HLTV platform is an esports specialist site mainly targeted at adults who are into professional Counter-Strike. As for the ASA, it accepted the realization that the esports live streaming could attract younger viewers but it also pointed out that there was no evidence of less than 18-year more than 25% of HLTV’s audience. The regulator therefore concluded that the ads had not been directed at under-18s and did not breach the CAP Code. Midnite ad breached under-25 rule Midnite’s case turned out differently when it comes to a TikTok ad that features a man promoting a betting app and highlighting free bets during the World Cup event. As per ASA’s rules, adult characters featuring in gambling ads should be above 25 years of age. On this occasion, Midnite clarified that Limay Media produced the ad without seeking the company’s prior approval. Therefore, the character used in the ad was a completely digital person. Limay Media commented on the incident, noting that the ad didn’t pass through the regular review stage and was banned shortly after it became known. ASA approved of the request based on the character’s young age that could suggest that he belonged to the late teenage or early 20s group. As a result, ASA ordered Midnite not to use the ad again and also instructed the companies not to use ads with characters below 25 in future campaigns. This incident became the second ruling against Midnite by ASA in the last months. Earlier in August, ASA forbid running another campaign developed by Midnite which featured characters who apparently were experiencing everyday struggles before before turning to gambling apps.