For anyone looking to promote online gambling activities on Meta’s platforms, the regulatory landscape just became significantly stricter. The California tech giant has announced a new set of restrictions governing gambling and gaming-related ads, with precise rules on licenses, mandatory approvals, and advertiser responsibilities. A move that industry observers see as part of a broader global trend toward tighter, more transparent regulation of the online gambling sector.
Mandatory approvals for advertisers
Effective immediately, any promotional activity related to online gambling on Facebook or Instagram requires prior approval through Meta’s “Permissions and Verifications” section within Business Suite. This is a formal process, strictly tied to the possession of valid gaming licenses and full compliance with the laws of the countries where the ads will run.
Once granted, the approval applies only to the specified ad accounts and can only be extended to other business profiles via an internal Meta procedure.
Meta clarifies that these rules apply to all gambling-related categories, including sports betting, online casinos, poker, lotteries and prize-based games. The only exceptions are for so-called social casinos or free-play games, provided there is no real-world monetary value involved.
Qualifications, documentation and thorough checks
To obtain authorisation, advertisers must clearly state their operational status – whether they are a direct operator, aggregator, affiliate, or agent – and specify the type of gambling activity being promoted. Submitting up-to-date legal documentation is essential, including valid licenses issued by competent regulatory authorities, the company’s legal name, website or app screenshots, and the full list of ad accounts to be activated.
Meta requires all documents to be provided in English, with websites or apps clearly displaying relevant gambling content. The entire process is subject to manual review by Meta’s internal teams, with variable response times and the possibility of additional document requests even after initial approval.
Analysts believe this move pushes the gambling advertising ecosystem toward greater professionalism, legal compliance, and accountability.
Specific rules for affiliates and content creators
A particularly delicate area concerns collaborations between gambling operators and influencers or content creators. If the ad is published directly by the gambling operator and the creator is only tagged or mentioned, no additional authorization is required. However, if the creator themselves publishes the ad, they must go through the full approval process, register as an affiliate, and provide a signed letter from both parties confirming the commercial partnership.
This provision aims to close regulatory loopholes in influencer marketing, where, in the past, creators have promoted gambling offers without formal ties or accountability.
Zero tolerance for targeting minors
One of the strictest aspects of Meta’s new policy concerns the absolute prohibition of targeting underage audiences. All ads promoting online gambling – including betting, casinos, and prize-based games – are strictly forbidden from being shown to users under 18.
Even for social casino or free-play games, advertisers must explicitly exclude minors from their target audience. This tough stance aligns with global efforts to combat underage gambling, an area where Meta has been under scrutiny from regulators and advocacy groups.
A fast-evolving regulatory landscape
Meta’s latest restrictions confirm an industry trend that has become impossible to ignore: online gambling is facing increasingly stricter rules not only in terms of licensing but also in how operators advertise their products. For businesses, this represents yet another compliance challenge, but also an opportunity to stand out as serious, transparent players in a competitive and rapidly evolving market.
The era of unregulated, uncontrolled gambling ads on social platforms is coming to an end. For operators in the online gambling space, full regulatory compliance is no longer optional – it’s the only way to stay in the game.
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