The UK Gambling Commission has accused Meta of profit seeking at the expense of player safety, claiming the social media giant allows illegal casinos to bypass British self exclusion schemes. Tim Miller warned that the regulator will use new powers and millions in funding to make the black market commercially toxic for all involved.
The British gambling regulator has issued a blistering critique of Meta, accusing the social media behemoth of turning a blind eye to a flood of illegal casino advertisements. Speaking at the ICE industry event in Barcelona, Tim Miller, the executive director of the Gambling Commission, highlighted a disturbing trend where unlicensed operators use Facebook and Instagram to target the most vulnerable players in the United Kingdom.
According to Miller, the platforms are rife with promotions for websites that explicitly market themselves as being not on GamStop. These services are designed to lure in individuals who have already taken the proactive step of self-excluding from legal gambling activities. The regulator argues that Meta has the sophisticated tools required to identify and block these criminal enterprises but has so far failed to take meaningful action. Miller noted that the company ad library serves as a window into criminality, suggesting that if the commission can find these ads, Meta certainly can too.
The financial motivations behind this perceived inaction are also under the spotlight. Internal documents previously suggested that a significant portion of Meta global revenue could be linked to ads for banned products or scams. While the tech firm disputes these figures, the Gambling Commission insists that the boundary between the regulated and unregulated markets must be made commercially toxic. Miller urged legitimate businesses to stop working with any suppliers who also profit from the black market, framing the issue as a choice of which side a company wants to be on.
In response to the growing threat, the UK government has pledged an additional 26 million pounds over the next three years to bolster the commission's enforcement capabilities. New legislative powers are also on the horizon, which will allow the regulator to seek court orders to take down IP addresses and domain names associated with illegal gambling. Despite these new tools, the commission maintains that technology giants must take more responsibility for the content they host rather than relying on regulators to do the police work for them.
Meta has defended its position, claiming it maintains strict policies and works closely with the Gambling Commission to remove violating content. A spokesperson for the company stated that they are using intelligence from the regulator to improve proactive detection systems. However, the commission remains unsatisfied, suggesting that simple keyword blocking of obvious illegal terms could prevent these ads from ever appearing in the first place.
Expert Analysis
The confrontation between the Gambling Commission and Meta represents a pivotal moment in the fight against the British black market. For years, the regulator has played a game of whack-a-mole with offshore operators, but targeting the advertising pipeline marks a shift in strategy. By publicly shaming one of the largest media platforms in the world, the commission is attempting to cut off the oxygen that allows unlicensed casinos to breathe. The mention of ads targeting GamStop users is particularly damning, as it strikes at the heart of the UK social responsibility framework.
From a commercial perspective, the regulator's demand for companies to pick a side is a clear warning to the broader gambling ecosystem. This does not just apply to the platforms showing the ads, but also to payment processors, software developers, and affiliates who might be tempted to double dip in both the white and black markets. The commission is essentially stating that any association with the illegal sector will soon carry a heavy price, both in terms of reputation and the ability to hold a UK license.
The 26 million pounds in new funding and the power to seize domains are welcome additions to the commission toolkit, but they are not a silver bullet. The internet is vast, and illegal operators are incredibly agile. The true battleground is the algorithm. Until tech giants like Meta are held legally or financially accountable for the harm caused by the ads they profit from, the regulator will always be one step behind. This latest outburst from Miller suggests the commission is losing patience with voluntary cooperation and is laying the groundwork for much stricter oversight.
