Ballin

About Ballin

On Wednesday the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled against Midnite following an investigation into a paid TikTok advertisement featuring an AI-generated character who appeared to be under the age of 25 and engaging in gambling activity. 

The ASA reviewed a clip posted to TikTok in July promoting Midnite, a Gibraltar-based online casino app. The clip displayed a young-looking man using the app, accompanied by the voiceover: “Another massive World Cup upset. Bet £10 on the big match and get £30 in free bets. Level up your World Cup with Midnite, get on it.”

According to the ASA’s Code for gambling advertising, anyone who “was, or seemed to be, under 25 years of age” must not be depicted gambling or playing a significant role in advertisements. 

What is Ballin?

The contrast with land-based gambling is striking. Casinos in Morocco and Egypt operate within recognised frameworks and, in Morocco, attract international investment. Private online betting remains outside the legal market.

The scale of that unlicensed market is unclear. MDJS’ own estimate of about MAD3.5 billion a year is the only figure available. No comparable public estimate exists for Tunisia or Egypt.

Without a licensing route, these markets remain difficult to measure, tax or supervise. Blocking and criminalisation may disrupt operators, but they do not remove demand. Governments are left trying to suppress offshore betting rather than bring it within a regulated market.

What is Ballin?

Two Illinois men accused of ripping cash boxes and ATMs from gaming venues have been arrested amid a statewide wave of burglaries targeting video gambling machines.

Reese A. Heckman, 34, of Decatur, and Travis R. Ziemer, 28, of Macon, face charges in a series of break-ins targeting gaming parlors, bars, and other businesses across Central Illinois, according to court documents reported by the Herald & Review.

The methods allegedly used by the duo mirror those employed by organized crews in a wave of burglaries targeting gaming establishments across the state, particularly in the Chicago suburbs.