Legislation

Controversy between The UK Gambling Commission and Meta over illegal gambling ads

Wednesday 21 de January 2026 / 12:00

⏱ 1 min read

(London). – Britain’s Gambling Commission has accused Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, of failing to act against illegal online casinos advertising on its platforms, suggesting the company was willing to profit from criminal activity.

Controversy between The UK Gambling Commission and Meta over illegal gambling ads

Speaking on Monday, the regulator’s executive director, Tim Miller, said Meta appeared to be “turning a blind eye” to unlawful gambling ads, despite their widespread presence across its social media platforms.

Miller said that anyone who had spent even a short amount of time on Facebook or Instagram was likely to have encountered advertisements for illegal online casinos in their feed. He highlighted that many of these gambling websites were not part of Britain’s GamStop self-exclusion scheme, which allows users to block themselves from online gambling.

Meta’s claim that it was unaware of such advertising until notified was “simply false,” Miller said during a speech at the ICE Barcelona gambling industry trade show. The remarks were later published on the Gambling Commission’s website.

“It could leave you with the impression they are quite happy to turn a blind eye and continue taking money from criminals and scammers until someone shouts about it,” Miller said.

Asked for comment, Meta said it enforces strict advertising policies related to online gambling and gaming. The company added that any advertisements found to be in violation of its rules are removed promptly once identified.

Categoría:Legislation

Tags: Sin tags

País: United Kingdom

Región: EMEA