The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint made against Midnite after the operator used a video of former Tottenham captain Son Heung-Min in an X post.
The operator posted a video of Son holding the Europa League trophy on 23 May, with the caption, “How bro starts acting after winning £8.10 from a 30p 8 fold acca bet”.
The complaint, which came from a researcher from the University of Bristol, challenged if the Son would be of strong appeal to under-18s.
Midnite acknowledged the South Korean, who now plays in MLS, was “high risk” of being of strong appeal to under-18s.
The operator removed the ad as soon as it was contacted by the ASA. A revised marketing policy has also been put in place.
Midnite did note it believed the ad to be editorial in nature and therefore not a marketing communication.
The firm said the post was not designed to drive traffic to the site, or promote an offer.
“[Midnite] believed consumers who engaged with the post understood that it was intended to be a light-hearted, editorial-style post,” the ASA ruling noted.
However, the ASA ruled the purpose of the ad was to promote the brand via a viral video and the caption featured a direct reference to gambling.
The ASA also said there was a significant number of users on X that had failed to self-verify their age correctly, meaning children would be able to see content aimed at over-18s.
The watchdog also pointed out the Son was a popular player for Spurs and in the Premier League, as well as a high-profile member of the South Korea national team.
“We therefore considered he was a person who was likely to be of strong appeal to under-18s,” the ASA concluded.
The ASA told Midnite the ad must not appear again, and that the operator should not include a person or character who had a strong appeal to under-18s in its marketing.
The ASA’s ruling against Midnite marks the second time the operator has been hit by the regulator in two months.
In September, the ASA upheld a complaint over an AI-generated video, featuring former Liverpool player Trent Alexander-Arnold, posted by Midnite on X.
It’s also the second time Spurs have been at the centre of a complaint to the ASA in recent weeks, with Match Bingo avoiding a reprimand earlier this month over a YouTube parody featuring Tottenham players.
The post Midnite stung by ASA over Son Heung-Min X post first appeared on EGR Intel.
Operator posted a video of the former Spurs captain in the aftermath of the team’s Europa League win in May
The post Midnite stung by ASA over Son Heung-Min X post first appeared on EGR Intel.