The UK Gambling Commission has said that Meta, the parent company of social networks Facebook and Instagram, is turning a blind eye to illegal gambling ads on its platforms, suggesting that the company is also willing to accept money from criminal sources, Reuters reports.
Tim Miller, the independent regulator’s chief executive, said that anyone who has used Meta’s platforms at all has encountered ads for illegal gambling sites. He added that many of the sites advertised do not participate in the UK’s GamStop program, which is designed to allow people to self-isolate from gambling online.
Miller also stressed that Meta’s excuse that the company was unaware of the ads for illegal sites until it was warned about them was a lie. It also gives the impression that the company is completely comfortable with accepting payments from criminals and fraudsters until someone points it out.
Meta said it has a strict advertising policy for online gambling and its ads,
and any ads that violate the rules are removed immediately upon discovery. The company also said it is working with the commission to find and remove all ads that violate the rules, and is using the knowledge gained to further improve its proactive monitoring tools. Meta has called on the commission to continue working with it to protect users and honest advertisers from harmful influences.
Meanwhile, Miller said that Meta’s ad library search can find sites that advertise themselves as not participating in the GameStop initiative. He said that if the commissions can find these ads, then so can Meta, the company simply choosing not to.
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