TLDR
- UK Gambling Commission accused Meta of ignoring illegal online casino ads on Facebook and Instagram
- Executive director Tim Miller said Meta is “turning a blind eye” and taking money from criminals
- Many illegal ads target sites not part of Britain’s GamStop self-exclusion gambling scheme
- Meta claims it enforces strict policies and removes violating ads once identified
- Regulator said Meta’s ad library clearly shows “Not on GamStop” advertisers that could be easily found
Britain’s Gambling Commission dropped a serious accusation against Meta on Monday. The regulator said the tech giant is willfully ignoring illegal online casino advertisements on Facebook and Instagram.
Tim Miller, the commission’s executive director, didn’t mince words. He said Meta appears “quite happy to turn a blind eye and continue taking money from criminals and scammers.” That’s a pretty harsh assessment from a government watchdog.
The issue centers on gambling ads that regularly appear in users’ feeds. According to Miller, anyone spending time on Meta’s platforms has likely seen promotions for illegal online casinos. These aren’t just random violations.
Meta Platforms is turning a blind eye to illegal gambling sites that advertise on Facebook and Instagram, according to the UK’s Gambling Commission https://t.co/bRtPUeYZu1
— Bloomberg (@business) January 19, 2026
Many of the problematic ads specifically target Britain’s GamStop system. GamStop is a self-exclusion scheme that lets people voluntarily ban themselves from online gambling sites. The illegal advertisers openly promote that they’re “Not on GamStop.”
Miller delivered his comments at the ICE Barcelona trade show. He called out Meta’s claim that it doesn’t know about illegal ads until someone reports them. He said that assertion is “simply false.”
Finding the Ads Isn’t Hard
The regulator pointed to Meta’s own searchable ad library as proof. Miller said his team easily found advertisers declaring their sites were not part of GamStop. “If we can find them then so can Meta,” he stated. “They simply choose not to look.”
That’s the crux of the commission’s complaint. The illegal ads aren’t hidden in some dark corner of the platform. They’re sitting in Meta’s public ad database.
Meta pushed back on the allegations. A company spokesperson said the platform enforces strict advertising policies for online gambling and gaming. The spokesperson said violating ads get removed once identified.
Working with Regulators
The company claimed it’s working closely with the Gambling Commission. Meta said it uses intelligence from the regulator to improve its proactive detection tools. Those tools supposedly catch problematic ads before they need manual reporting.
Meta encouraged continued collaboration with the commission. The spokesperson said this partnership protects both users and legitimate advertisers from bad actors.
But the Gambling Commission doesn’t seem satisfied with that response. Miller’s speech suggests the regulator believes Meta has the capability to stop these ads. The implication is clear: the company just isn’t using that capability.
The timing of Miller’s speech at a major gambling industry trade show wasn’t accidental. It put Meta’s practices in front of gambling operators, regulators, and technology providers from around the world.
The GamStop scheme represents an important consumer protection in Britain’s online gambling market. When illegal sites advertise ways around it, they’re potentially targeting vulnerable people who’ve tried to stop gambling.
Meta’s ad library shows advertisers publicly stating their sites are “Not on GamStop,” according to Miller’s Monday speech at ICE Barcelona.
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