Meta has published a list of countries where gambling advertising is prohibited on its platforms. From now on, any gambling-related advertising placed on Meta’s platforms must also be pre-approved by the company itself.
Previously, Meta’s policy included a list of countries where such advertising was permitted with the appropriate license. That list included Argentina, Bulgaria, France, New Zealand, Zambia, and many other jurisdictions.
Now, to simplify things for advertisers, Meta has removed these regulated markets from its list and instead only lists countries where gambling promotions are not allowed at all.
The reasons why a Meta marketing license cannot be obtained in these countries become clear at first glance. Most of the listed nations either lack clear gambling regulations or have completely banned gambling.
In some countries, gambling is allowed only for foreigners or exists in limited forms. For example, in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Egypt, gambling is prohibited for locals but allowed for foreign visitors. Similar regulations apply in Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan.
In Taiwan, Mongolia, and Azerbaijan, online gambling and casinos are banned, but state lotteries or sports betting markets operate. The same applies to Thailand, Pakistan, and Hong Kong.
A total ban on gambling exists in Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Saudi Arabia.
The only country on the list where gambling is fully regulated by law is the Philippines, under the supervision of the regulator PAGCOR. However, even there, heated political debates have been taking place in recent months about a possible full ban on online gambling.
This is likely the reason why Meta included the Philippines in its restricted list – the company chose to proactively eliminate potential risks, as it recently did in the United Kingdom.
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