Between 2021 and 2024, India witnessed a remarkable boom in online gambling, driven by the low cost of mobile data and the widespread use of smartphones. Amid growing concerns about illegal activities, Indian authorities summoned Meta and Google last summer to discuss their role in promoting gambling sites, before New Delhi banned all forms of online gambling for real money in August, as well as its promotion.
However, a new analysis by Rest of World reveals that advertisements for illegal gambling remain prevalent on Meta platforms in India and around the world. In December alone, at least 140 banned ads were detected within India, and the analysis also noted the appearance of similar ads in 12 other countries where it is legally prohibited.
Based on data taken from Meta’s Ad Library in December, Rest of World reported that dozens of pages published nearly a thousand such ads in countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and others. In addition, more than 2,400 other ads were taken down, while many of the pages that promoted these ads remained on the platform.
In an example from the Philippines, more than 170 ads were published in November directing users to an app called PH988 with promises of prizes reaching millions of dollars, “loss recovery,” and referral bonuses, but no one was able to contact the app or the pages that promoted it. Available information indicates that these ads led to sites or apps that allow linking bank accounts for gambling purposes, promoting features such as “instant withdrawal,” “secure transactions,” and cashback offers in case of loss.
Meta clarified last summer its policies regarding gambling and electronic gaming ads, including banning them in 18 countries it described as “unsupported markets” in Asia and the Middle East, but Rest of World points out that the display of these ads continued in at least 13 out of the 18 countries. Meta did not respond to the site’s requests for an interview.
The report quoted the head of the regulatory authority in the Philippines as saying that more than 60% of online gambling operations there are illegal, while activist Ronald Gustilo from the Digital Pinoys group stated that “most of the ads, especially on Facebook, come from illegal gambling operations.” He added that his organization provided Meta with details about more than 300 sites advertising illegally, but the platform has only closed six sites so far, according to him.
According to the report, many pages rely on a recurring pattern: fake headlines and ads that are displayed for only a few hours, usually between 6 and 8 hours, and then disappear, making them difficult to track. In Thailand, a network of three pages was observed publishing more than 500 ads in a single day to promote the Nex855 site, while in Malaysia, more than 250 ads were observed on six pages for the MYB77 app, where the ads ran for hours before disappearing while the pages remained.
The report indicates that the lack of clarity in targeting, spending volume, and advertiser identity is because gambling ads are generally not treated as “political ads” subject to higher transparency standards. In its policies, Meta requires advertisers to comply with local laws and emphasizes that the platform is “not responsible” for how authorized ad accounts comply with those laws.
The text mentioned an investigation by Reuters that Meta made more than $16 billion, or about 10% of its revenue, from fraudulent ads promoting scams, prohibited goods, and illegal gambling. It also pointed to escalating criticism from officials in the region, including Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, who said that Facebook should block the credit card used if it knows the ad is illegal in Malaysia, noting that his government has sent more than 120,000 requests to remove content related to illegal gambling, and accused Meta of non-cooperation after some content remained on the platform. (rest of world)
