The UK Advertising Standards Authority has banned a Midnite TikTok advertisement after ruling that its AI-generated main character appeared to be under 25 while promoting gambling.
The paid social media ad, seen on 3 July 2026, showed a young-looking male character using a gambling app while promoting a World Cup betting offer. The video encouraged viewers to bet £10 on a match in return for £30 in free bets.
The ASA opened its investigation after the advertisement was detected through its Active Ad Monitoring system, which uses artificial intelligence to identify potentially non-compliant online promotions. The regulator examined whether the character breached rules preventing people who are, or appear to be, under 25 from gambling or playing a significant role in betting advertisements.
Midnite, operated by Dribble Media, said it had not approved the campaign. According to the company, affiliate Limay Media created the video without authorisation to publish paid social media advertising on Midnite’s behalf. Midnite subsequently terminated its agreement with the affiliate and said it would remind other partners of their obligations under the CAP Code.
Limay Media confirmed that the person featured in the video was entirely AI-generated rather than based on a real individual. It said the character was intended to represent an adult, but the prompt used to create him did not specify an age.
The agency also acknowledged that its usual approval process had not been followed. The advertisement remained online for only several hours before being identified internally and paused. Limay Media said it has since introduced stronger controls for AI-generated gambling advertising, including explicit age instructions in prompts, checks on perceived age and records covering the creation and approval process.
Those measures did not alter the ASA’s assessment of the published advertisement. The regulator said the character had youthful facial features, smooth skin, a boyish hairstyle and casual clothing. His animated behaviour also contributed to an overall impression of someone in his late teens or early twenties.
The ASA concluded that the fact the character was artificial did not remove the requirement to comply with age-related gambling advertising rules. Because nothing in his appearance or behaviour clearly established that he was at least 25, the advertisement breached CAP Code rules 16.3 and 16.3.14.
The regulator ordered that the ad must not appear again in the same form and instructed both Midnite and Limay Media to ensure future gambling promotions do not feature anyone who is, or appears to be, under 25 while gambling or occupying a prominent role.
The decision comes shortly after another ASA ruling against Midnite. In August, the regulator banned two television ads, two video-on-demand advertisements and a radio spot after concluding that the campaign suggested gambling could provide relief from everyday frustration and potentially act as a coping mechanism.
Midnite also faced ASA scrutiny earlier this year over a TikTok partnership with lifestyle creator Mia Mon. That complaint was not upheld in June after the regulator found that her profile and audience data did not indicate strong appeal to under-18s.
The latest ruling nevertheless underlines that gambling advertisers remain responsible for how AI-generated people are perceived by viewers, even when the individuals depicted do not exist in real life.