In July 2025, Facebook and Instagram owner Meta was criticized for the way it handles gambling ads in a report issued by the Open Rights Group.
Now, Meta Platforms is once again under fire, this time from Britain’s Gambling Commission for allowing illegal online casino ads to run on its platforms. The independent regulator complained that Meta seems to ignore these ads while continuing to profit from them.
“A Window Into Criminality”
Tim Miller, the Commission’s executive director, said most users on Meta would have seen these ads in their feeds. Many of the respective ads promoted sites that were not part of the UK’s GamStop self-exclusion program, aimed at helping people control their gambling.
Meta claimed it was not aware of the existence of such ads until it was notified about them, a statement that Miller was quick to dismiss on the grounds that the company’s own ad library clearly shows advertisers labeling their sites as “Not on GamStop.”
“It’s effectively a window into criminality,” he said. “If we can find them, then so can Meta. They simply choose not to look,” the exec’s statement went on at the ICE gaming conference in Barcelona.
Miller also commented on the slow progress on addressing the matter, suggesting that Meta could easily block the ads with the help of keyword tools it already has, but instead seems happy to continue taking money from potentially criminal operators until someone complains.
“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 went on.
Exploring Vulnerable Users
Unlicensed gambling operators are a growing concern for regulators around the world. In the UK, the Gambling Commission has shut down hundreds of thousands of unlicensed websites and issued cease-and-desist notices, but the problem persists as new sites continually appear.
Miller emphasized that these illegal ads not only dodge taxes but also expose vulnerable users to fraud and exploitation.
The issue is, of course, not limited to the UK. Investigations have found similar illegal gambling advertising on Meta in countries where it is banned, including India, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia. Last summer, Romania also asked Google and Meta to block illegal ads for gambling.
While Meta has told the Gambling Commission that it will remove ads once notified and suggested using its AI tools to detect illegal ads, Miller’s comments suggest the company is not doing enough proactively to stop the problem.