Why Major Social Platforms Are Facing Global Scrutiny
The global debate over online gambling advertising on social media has heated up in 2026. A recent investigation by Rest of World shows that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, continues to serve online gambling ads in countries where such advertising is illegal. According to the analysis, Meta is running hundreds of banned gambling ads in nations across Asia and the Middle East, disregarding both local laws and its own published policies.
Between 2021 and 2024, cheap mobile data and wider smartphone access helped online gambling spread fast in countries like India. In response to concerns about illegal platforms, the Indian government banned all real money gambling and its advertising in 2024. Despite this, Rest of World found that in December alone there were at least 140 banned online gambling ads on Meta platforms in India. Meta’s own ad library data showed nearly 1,000 such ads across Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and other countries with prohibitions. Many of the pages running these ads are still active, even if individual ads have gone inactive.
Meta has set out advertising policies that prohibit online gambling ads in what it calls “unsupported markets,” a list of 18 countries across Asia and the Middle East. But the Rest of World analysis found these ads running in at least 13 of those countries months after the policy was announced. Advertisements often direct users to gambling sites or apps that promise easy wins, instant payouts, loss rescue services, and referral bonuses all designed to lure people into signing up and betting money online.
These forms of advertising raise concerns not just about compliance with local law but also about consumer harm. In the Philippines, for example, over 60 percent of online gambling operations are illegal, and digital rights groups have been urging Meta to remove such content. Activists say they have shared details of hundreds of illegal gambling websites with Meta, but only a tiny fraction of the ads linked to those sites have been taken down.
The Global Regulatory Context
The issue of online gambling advertising is part of a wider global push to regulate the online gambling industry more strictly. Countries like India are creating new legal frameworks to control online gaming, e sports, and gambling, including penalties for unauthorized gambling and advertising.
Meanwhile, regulators in other parts of the world have also called out big tech companies. For instance, the UK Gambling Commission has publicly criticised Meta for allowing illegal gambling ads to persist. Regulators have pointed out that Meta’s searchable ad library a transparency tool can be used to uncover ads that specifically target players who have opted out of gambling through self exclusion programs such as GamStop. The Gambling Commission has even described the library as “a window into criminality” due to its visibility of unlicensed operators.
This criticism reflects broader unease about how online platforms moderate advertising for products that can cause social harm. Regulators contend that tech companies have the tools to detect and filter harmful ads, but that voluntary approaches have fallen short. Some have accused Meta of shifting responsibility by claiming it only learns about illegal ads when informed by regulators or users.
In response to pressure, Meta has announced tighter compliance rules for gambling advertisers in recent years. These include mandatory approval procedures, documentation of valid licences, and verification of advertiser roles and jurisdictions before gambling related ads are allowed to run. Meta also forbids targeting users under 18 with gambling ads. Even social casino and free play games must explicitly exclude minors. These enforcement measures reflect a growing effort to balance advertising access with legal and ethical safeguards.
How Meta’s Ad Business Benefits
While stricter rules exist on paper, critics argue that enforcement remains uneven. Reports from media organisations and regulators suggest that Meta continues to generate significant ad revenue from high risk and banned content, including scams, illegal gambling, and prohibited products. Evidence from internal documents shows that in 2024 Meta projected roughly ten percent of its revenues about $16 billion would come from ads promoting fraud and banned goods, including illegal gambling sites. Meta disputed these figures, describing them as overly inclusive, but the scale of the issue has drawn political pressure for action.
Some analysts say that illegal gambling operators have more aggressive marketing budgets precisely because they avoid licensing and compliance costs. This allows them to buy more advertising on platforms like Meta, potentially crowding out licensed operators or consumer safety messages. These incentives have raised questions about how algorithmic ad delivery systems prioritise revenue over user protection.
Why This Matters
The debate over online gambling advertising on social media is not just about tech compliance. It touches on issues of consumer protection, public health, jurisdictional law enforcement, and digital responsibility. Countries with strict gambling prohibitions aim to reduce addiction and protect users from unlicensed operators. When global platforms fail to enforce local laws, it undermines that protection and could contribute to gambling related harm.
For users, persistent online gambling ads can normalise risky behaviour and expose vulnerable people to financial loss. For regulators, it challenges existing frameworks for policing digital content that crosses borders. And for Meta, the issue poses both reputational and legal risks as governments intensify scrutiny and consider tougher penalties for platforms that fail to control banned ads on their services.
What Comes Next
The world is watching how tech companies respond. Regulators are increasing efforts to strengthen laws, enforce compliance, and hold platforms accountable for harmful and illegal ads. In some jurisdictions, legal penalties for violations are rising, and governments are exploring ways to compel stricter ad vetting and transparency from social networks. With this pressure, companies like Meta must innovate in policy enforcement or face growing backlash from authorities and the public alike.
As online gambling continues to evolve, the intersection of digital advertising, consumer safety, and jurisdictional law will remain a core battleground. Stakeholders from regulators and operators to civil society and users will need to work together to shape a future where online platforms better respect local laws and global ethical standards.
