Unauthorised gambling advertising: Meta must pay a fine in Italy

US internet company Meta Platforms Inc. has been fined millions of dollars in Italy for unauthorised gambling advertising. Specifically, the Italian Communications Authority found that Meta had violated the country's ban on gambling advertising. In total, the authority counted around 20 accounts with relevant content on the social networks Facebook and Instagram.

AGCOM, the Italian communications authority, is taking a tough stance on illegal gambling advertising. A few weeks ago, the authority fined Facebook's parent company Meta Platforms Inc. several million euros. What is interesting about this case is that AGCOM only counted 20 accounts with offensive content on Facebook and Instagram, which is said to be the reason for the fine. In a recent article, we questioned the wisdom of a general ban on gambling advertising.

Meta violated the gambling advertising ban in Italy several times

The Italian authorities considered it proven that the US internet company had violated the ban on gambling advertising on several occasions. Specifically, AGCOM criticised the fact that 13 accounts with offensive content were found on the social network Facebook. In addition, five accounts were found on Instagram that appeared to promote online gambling and sports betting.

The authorities counted a total of 32 posts on around 20 accounts that violated Italian gambling laws. Among other things, these posts advertised participation in online gambling. This is not allowed in Italy. But why should Meta now have to pay a fine running into millions if the accounts in question belong to third parties?

The Communications Authority accuses the internet giant of not taking decisive action against the placement of illegal gambling advertisements. In particular, the authority believes that Meta was in a position to recognise the illegality of the content, as it had been notified of it. Incidentally, we at GambleJoe already reported at the end of 2020 that the Italian government was organising a so-called "receipt lottery".

What is the fine against Meta?

As AGCOM announced in a statement a few weeks ago, the Facebook parent company must now pay a fine of 5.85 million euros. The fact that the fine is so high despite the comparatively minor infringement is probably primarily due to the financial strength of the billion-dollar US giant. The Menlo Park, California-based company generated a turnover of around 118 billion US dollars in 2021 alone and employed almost 72,000 people worldwide.

Incidentally, Meta is not the first internet company to be fined heavily by the Italian authorities for illegal gambling advertising. In the recent past, the communications authority also imposed a fine of the equivalent of 900,000 euros on Twitch and over two million euros on YouTube, among others, as these companies are also alleged to have violated the Italian guidelines on gambling advertising.

Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/facebook-social-media-medien-sozial-793048/