Athena Ascending

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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. 

About Athena Ascending

Caesars, of course, isn’t the only major casino participating in the “Vegas 5-Day Sale.” MGM Resorts, which operates the most casinos on the Strip, has slashed Bellagio rooms by 25% and is incentivizing guests with $100 in daily F&B credit. MGM Grand rooms are 50% off.

The Venetian and Palazzo suites are 33% off, Wynn and Encore are discounted 20-30%, and Fontainebleau is 20% off with $50 daily resort credit. For budget travelers, Treasure Island has rooms from $69 and no resort fee, Westgate has two-night stays for $199 with $100 resort credit and four Cabaret tickets, and Golden Nugget has $49 rooms that come with a $20 gas card.

The LVCVA launched the “Vegas 5-Day Sale” last year in response to growing public sentiment that Las Vegas no longer provided value and that resorts were focused on nickel-and-diming customers. Many on social media criticized the tourism agency’s efforts as “too little, too late.”

About Athena Ascending

At least 60 “yes” votes were needed to move the legislation towards passage, but the final tally of 49-50 didn’t even reach a majority after four Republican lawmakers broke ranks to oppose the market structure bill. With critical midterm elections approaching in November, there is little chance that the issue will be picked back up in the balance of the Congressional session.

Notably, ethics concerns may have played a critical factor in the rejection of the bill. Lawmakers from both sides did not feel that an updated version of the text released on Sunday went far enough in addressing concerns related to senior officials maintaining or endorsing crypto business ties. However, a group of Republicans claimed they made a series of concessions when US President Donald Trump agreed to modifications on Sunday night that contained stronger ethics measures, the Associated Press reported. The 11th hour concessions were not enough to appease potential swing voters among Senate Democrats.

“This legislation failed squarely because Republicans refuse to say no to the president,” Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego said in a statement. “It takes 60 votes to pass a bill, and instead of spending their time twisting themselves into knots to appease President Trump, Republicans should have worked more closely with Senate Democrats to craft a bill that could pass with strong ethics provisions.”