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Despite global bans and restrictive policies, illegal online gambling advertisements continue to proliferate across Meta’s platforms in Asia and the Middle East, highlighting enforcement challenges and the evolving tactics of illicit operators.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A Rest of World analysis has found that illegal online gambling advertisements continued to proliferate on Meta platforms across Asia and the Middle East even after governments and the company itself said they were tightening restrictions. The December study identified at least 140 banned ads running in India alone, and nearly 1,000 ads across Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other jurisdictions where local law prohibits such promotion, with more than 2,400 additional ads shown as inactive but linked to pages that remain operational. According to the report by Rest of World, many of the live ads routed users to apps or websites that asked them to link bank accounts and promised instant withdrawals, referral bonuses and \u201closs rescue\u201d incentives. [1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n The persistence of these ads came against the backdrop of New Delhi\u2019s escalating enforcement: in August the Indian government banned all forms of real-money online gambling and its promotion. The crackdown followed a surge in real-money gaming popularity between 2021 and 2024, fuelled by expanding smartphone access and cheaper mobile data, a trend that industry analysts said helped India become one of the world\u2019s largest gaming markets. Industry data shows India\u2019s gaming market was worth $3.7 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $9.1 billion by 2029, with real-money gaming accounting for the majority of revenue and contributing to widespread concerns about addiction, debt and fraud. A Digital India Foundation report underscored the scale of illegal operators, recording 1.6 billion visits across four analysed platforms in a three-month period and showing how mirror sites multiply traffic to evade takedowns. [1]<\/a><\/sup>[6]<\/a><\/sup>[5]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Indian authorities broadened their scrutiny of platforms\u2019 role late in 2025. In July the Enforcement Directorate summoned Google and Meta to explain whether and how their advertising systems had enabled the promotion of betting applications under investigation for alleged money laundering and hawala transactions; Google appeared for the probe while Meta did not. According to India Today and other Indian media reports, the ED is examining whether digital platforms facilitated the reach of illegal betting apps through paid promotions and targeted advertising, and has pressed for documents and explanations from both companies. [2]<\/a><\/sup>[3]<\/a><\/sup>[4]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Rest of World\u2019s ad-library analysis found patterns that complicated enforcement: pages running gambling ads often used fake addresses, claimed to be US-based while listing page managers in Southeast Asia, and deployed short-lived ad campaigns, typically six to eight hours, before disappearing and reappearing under different profiles. In the Philippines, Rest of World identified more than 170 ads in November promoting an app called PH988 and found that over 60% of online gambling operations there are illegal, according to the chairperson of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation. Digital rights campaigners in the Philippines told Rest of World they had supplied Meta with details on hundreds of illegal gambling websites but seen only a handful removed. Ronald Gustilo, national campaigner of advocacy group Digital Pinoys, said, \u201cMost of the ads, specifically on Facebook, are coming from illegal online gambling operations.\u201d [1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Elsewhere the patterns were similar. Rest of World documented more than 500 ads in a single day in Thailand promoting Nex855 and over 250 ads from six pages in Malaysia for an app called MYB77; many of those pages remain active even after individual ads go inactive. Malaysia\u2019s long-standing ban on gambling and frequent enforcement actions have not prevented repeated appearances of such promotions on the platform. The Malaysian communications minister, Fahmi Fadzil, has publicly criticised Meta\u2019s response, saying, \u201cIf a gambling ad is paid for using a credit card, and Facebook knows this content is illegal in Malaysia, they should block the credit card account used. But Facebook has refused to do so.\u201d He also disclosed that the Malaysian government had sent Meta more than 120,000 content removal requests related to illegal gambling on Facebook. [1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Meta\u2019s public policy stance has been that advertisers must ensure compliance with local laws and that the platform is \u201cnot responsible for how authorized ad accounts comply with local gambling laws and regulations.\u201d In mid-2025 the company outlined restrictions on gambling and gaming-related ads in 18 \u201cunsupported markets\u201d across Asia and the Middle East, but Rest of World\u2019s analysis found ads continuing to run in at least 13 of those markets months after the policy announcement. Meta did not respond to Rest of World\u2019s interview requests for the report. [1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n The problem touches on larger questions about ad platform accountability and the economics of illicit ads. A recent Reuters investigation found that Meta earned more than $16 billion , roughly 10% of its revenue , from fraudulent ads that promoted scams, prohibited goods and illegal gambling, a finding that has intensified criticism from regulators and governments across the region. Critics argue that the combination of short-lived ad campaigns, obfuscated advertiser details and limited transparency for non-political advertising makes enforcement by national authorities difficult and allows illegal operators to monetise platforms at scale. [1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Regulators and civil-society groups are adopting a variety of responses. In the Philippines, Digital Pinoys works with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center to flag illegal operators to Meta, while in India and Malaysia enforcement agencies have escalated summonses and formal requests for cooperation from tech companies. Yet industry observers warn that mirror sites, rapid creation of new pages, and cross-border payment arrangements mean that takedowns of individual ads will probably remain a stopgap unless platforms increase transparency around advertiser funding and take stronger measures to deactivate repeat offenders. The Digital India Foundation\u2019s report, and broader market data on gaming\u2019s rapid growth during and after the pandemic, suggest the illicit market\u2019s footprint has expanded in parallel with legitimate industry growth, complicating policy responses. [5]<\/a><\/sup>[6]<\/a><\/sup>[7]<\/a><\/sup>[1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n The available evidence paints a picture of a persistent, adaptive online gambling ecosystem that exploits gaps in platform enforcement and regulatory reach. Governments pressing for tougher action face a technical and jurisdictional fight: the advertising inventory and ad\u2011tech systems that place and pay for these promotions operate at scale, and enforcement requests , even when numerous , often struggle to match the rapid churn and geographic fluidity of the operators involved. Until platforms, payment processors and regulators align on stronger verification, transparency and rapid\u2011response measures, illegal operators will likely continue to surface in regions where domestic law forbids their promotion. [1]<\/a><\/sup>[5]<\/a><\/sup>[2]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n ##Reference Map:<\/p>\n\ud83d\udccc Reference Map:<\/h3>\n
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