TLDR ASA cleared White Hat Gaming’s ads on HLTV, ruling they were not aimed at under-18s Midnite was warned after a TikTok ad featured a character who appeared to be under 25 The Midnite ad was created by affiliate Limay Media without company approval ASA said the AI-generated character in the ad looked underage This is Midnite’s second negative ASA ruling in two months
The Advertising Standards Authority issued two rulings on gambling ads this week. The outcomes for the two operators were very different.
White Hat Gaming, which runs Casimba and The Grand Ivy Casino, was cleared of wrongdoing. Its ads had appeared on HLTV, a Counter-Strike 2 esports website.
Midnite received a warning instead. One of its TikTok ads featured a character who appeared to be under 25 years old.
That breaks strict UK rules on gambling advertising. The rules exist to protect younger viewers from gambling promotions.
White Hat Gaming Ads Ruled Compliant
The complaint against White Hat Gaming involved two display ads and a linked logo. They appeared during a live Counter-Strike 2 match on HLTV.
The ads promoted a welcome bonus offer. The text read “100% MATCH BONUS UP TO £100 ON 1ST DEPOSIT.”
Critics said the placement could reach viewers under 18. White Hat Gaming disagreed, saying HLTV serves an adult audience that follows professional esports.
HLTV said its content is analytical and data-driven. The site described its audience as mature esports fans rather than casual gamers.
The ASA reviewed audience data before making a decision. It found the live match coverage was framed around competition and statistics.
Social media data showed only a small share of under-18 users on HLTV. There was no evidence that minors made up more than 25 percent of the site’s audience.
Based on this, the