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The policies in question do not mention the practice of responsible gaming and do not detail other legal and regulatory obligations. They also do not specify the resources used to validate certifications, monitor licences and content, identify irregular practices and operators, or apply moderation measures.
The absence of governance policies aligned with current regulations and Instagram’s algorithmic recommendations reveals not only an ecosystem that fuels gambling as an alternative to work, but above all, points to a systemic risk in which Meta is a major player. This risk can only be effectively addressed by expanding the obligations of digital platforms.
In this sense, it is necessary to expand the regulatory norms of the SPA and the National Data Protection Agency, beyond transparency reports and the mandatory removal after notification of official administrative decisions, but also with the mandatory inclusion of social and technological resources for monitoring, identifying and moderating this ecosystem.
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A cross-party of MPs similarly branded gambling advertisement as a “public health issue” in a recent parliamentary debate. The comment came after the publication of the All-Party Parliamentary Group’s May report.
The report cited concerns that current measures inadequately protected children and young people from the marketing tactics of the gambling industry.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has recently appointed a research fellow to study innovations in online gambling advertising, including content creators; however, the Lords caution that this research should not delay necessary policy changes.
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Van Bruggen told the gambling committee that both Meta and Google were open to maintaining a dialogue with the government on this.
She said the government would receive a report every six months on illegal gambling advertising across these platforms.
The KVA’s statement mirrors a broader European regulatory trend where authorities are increasingly scrutinising how major internet platforms facilitate traffic to unlicensed gambling services.
