The UK Advertising Standards Authority upheld 125 complaints regarding a Midnite advertising campaign that aired between April and May 2026. The regulator determined the advertisements incorrectly positioned gambling as a method for relieving everyday stress.
The campaign included five spots distributed across television, video on demand, and radio networks. Each segment featured characters encountering minor technology failures, such as malfunctioning vending machines and smart televisions. The authority noted that visual cues like pulsating veins were stylized and comedic, yet the repeated depiction of technical issues established a cumulative sense of annoyance.
The regulator concluded that the closing message, "We can’t fix the rest, but our betting app is actually pretty good," implied that platform usage provided a way to move past daily frustrations.
Regulatory Assessment and Previous Reviews
Midnite stated the advertisements focused on application functionality and user experience. The watchdog acknowledged this perspective but maintained that viewers would interpret the messaging as suggesting gambling serves as a coping mechanism for stressful situations. This decision follows a separate regulatory review in November 2025, when the same authority examined a Midnite social media post featuring footballer Son Heung-min.
Source: UK Advertising Standards Authority.