Midnite investigated over social media posts that “strongly appeal to children”

Midnite has been accused of breaching advertising rules after it created social media posts deemed appealing to under-18s.

As reported by ITV News, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) was informed of a complaint from researchers at the University of Bristol about several of the gambling group’s social media posts, and an investigation has now begun.

The posts – which included the likes of top footballers Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire on X (formerly Twitter), as well as a recent post on Instagram with Harry Kane – are said to go against the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) Code which stops gambling companies from releasing marketing that “strongly appeals to children”.

Bristol on the look out 

This is not the first time that Bristol University has slammed betting operators for this type of content. In 2023, during the Premier League’s opening weekend, the same group identified 10,999 gambling messages in breach of advertising rules – with 92% of “content marketing” not clearly marked as ads, and only a minority included harm warnings.

Meanwhile, in September 2024, a follow‑up study found almost three times as many (29,145) gambling messages were sent over a single weekend, prompting the research team to report over 100 non‑compliant social media ads to the ASA.

The main issue the group found with Midnite’s posts is that, based on the university’s own research, this type of content marketing is four times more appealing to children than it is to adults.

Midnite has therefore been accused of intentionally exploiting the viral appeal of social media content while failing to implement adequate protections for underage users in the UK.

One of the leading researchers at Bristol, Dr Raffaello Rossi, argued such forms of content marketing “obscure the promotional nature of the message” and blur the lines between entertainment and advertising for a high-risk product.

He continued: “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 complaints are not the first time Midnite has had its social media posts shown to the ASA – with four previous occasions having raised an issue over the past 12 months.

On the latest investigation, the ASA explained: “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.”

The investigation takes place as Midnite continues to bolster its rapid growth strategy in the UK. It recently sponsored Southampton FC, as well as free-to-air broadcaster 5’s UK coverage of the FIFA Club World Cup.

In April – the same month it completed a successful Series B funding round – Midnite also announced a sponsorship of the World Snooker Championship. It also launched its first TV ad campaign the month prior, which aired across Sky, Channel 4 and Channel 5, covering both linear TV and streaming platforms.

Keeping up with the threat

Since the UK Gambling Commission reported a sharp rise in problem gambling among minors, especially with the use of social media being at an all time high, news of this kind is getting a significant amount of media attention as governing bodies work harder than ever to eradicate the issue.

Recent data indicates that around 85,000 young people now show signs of problem gambling, which is double the amount reported in a similar study from 2023. 

It was only in April that a similar complaint was made against a Fitzdares advert featuring Stuart Broad, who argued to be of “strong appeal” to people under the age of 18, although this was later overturned.

The White Paper, published last year, was a significant factor in minimising young people’s exposure to gambling. It imposed stake limits on online slots, and also laid out plans for sports betting deals which bans front‑of‑shirt gambling sponsors in the Premier League, FA, EFL & WSL from the 2026‑27 season.