XLMedia reprimanded by ASA over Mason Mount Instagram post

XLMedia has been censured by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after an Instagram post that prominently featured the then-Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount was flagged to the watchdog.

The post for freebets.com, one of XLMedia’s brands, was seen on 11 and 12 July and featured an image of Mount playing football. 

When challenged by the watchdog, the affiliate failed to respond to the ASA’s enquiries according to the watchdog, which in itself breached CAP Code rule 1.7.

XLMedia was reminded by the ASA about its responsibility to respond promptly to its enquiries in the future. 

Two complaints were made against the ad in question and challenged whether it breached the CAP code because it featured Mount, who was under 25 when the ad was posted.

Under existing regulations, any individual who is, or seemingly is, under the age of 25 cannot be used in gambling marketing materials unless for a specific exception.

The ASA added that while it noted freebets.com was not a gambling operator in itself, consumers using its services would be in a “position where they would be interacting with gambling services”.

Therefore, the ASA ruled that it was “irresponsible” of the affiliate to use Mount in its marketing material due to the fact Mount was 24 at the time the ad was published, and that the ad was a “service that was intended to facilitate gambling”.

Following the conclusion of its investigation, the ASA told XLMedia that the ad could not appear in its current form again. 

The watchdog also informed the affiliate that it must not feature individuals under the age of 25 in a significant way in its advertising going forward.