Bans on gambling advertising in several countries across Asia and the Middle East have failed to stop the flow of ads on Meta's platforms, an analysis by Rest of World has shown. In India alone, at least 140 ads that should have been prohibited were identified in December, while similar campaigns were found across dozens of other markets. Meta did not publicly respond to investigators' questions, and regulators and officials across the region are intensifying pressure on the company.

What the Rest of World investigation found

Journalists analyzed data from Meta's publicly available Ad Library and documented the widespread presence of illegal online gambling ads in countries where such promotion is prohibited by law or restricted under the platform's own rules. The placements continue despite the bans in force.

India's boom and the December findings

Between 2021 and 2024, India experienced rapid growth in online gambling. Cheap mobile internet and the mass proliferation of smartphones turned gambling into one of the most lucrative niches in the country's digital economy. In the summer of 2024, Indian authorities summoned representatives of Meta and Google to discuss the role of platforms in promoting gambling sites. In August, the government imposed a blanket ban on all forms of real-money online gambling and any promotion thereof.

Nevertheless, in December investigators discovered a minimum of 140 ads that should not, by law, have appeared before Indian users.

The paradox is that the bans did not reduce demand but merely redirected it. Indian players, deprived of legal platforms within the country, are increasingly seeking out offshore casinos and mobile apps accessible via foreign servers. Crash games JetX and Aviator — where the mechanics are simple and rounds last mere seconds — have proven especially popular. Among the most frequently recorded queries in the Indian segment is the JetX app, which allows users to place bets via smartphone with support for local payment systems such as UPI and PayTM. It is precisely these formats that are promoted through short-lived advertising campaigns on Meta's platforms, keeping the problem of banned ads in India as acute as ever.

The scale of the problem in numbers

The key findings of the analysis paint a troubling picture:

• At least 140 prohibited ads were identified in India in December alone.
• Advertising was found in 12 additional countries where it is banned under national legislation.
• Nearly 1,000 ads were placed by dozens of pages in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and other countries.
• More than 2,400 ads have already become inactive, yet many of the pages that ran them continue to exist on the platform.

Meta itself designates 18 countries as "unsupported markets," where such ads are prohibited under platform rules. In practice, advertising continued to appear in at least 13 of those 18 jurisdictions.

The Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia: the same scheme

In the Philippines, more than 170 ads were recorded in November redirecting users to the PH988 app. The ads promised "millions" in withdrawals, "rescue from losses," and referral bonuses for inviting friends. Journalists were unable to reach PH988 or the administrators of the pages. According to the head of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, more than 60% of online gambling in the country operates illegally.

In Thailand, parliament approved a bill to legalize land-based casinos, but online gambling remains outside the law. Investigators identified a network of three pages that launched more than 500 ads in a single day, promoting the Thai-language site Nex855 featuring live casinos and slots. Contact with Nex855 could not be established.

In Malaysia, gambling has been banned since 1953. Despite regular government raids, the study recorded more than 250 ads from six pages for the MYB77 casino app. The ads ran for only a few hours before disappearing, while the pages themselves remained active. A MYB77 customer support representative declined to comment on the advertising.

The Middle East and other markets

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Singapore also featured in the sample. Advertising appeared in these jurisdictions despite legislative prohibitions.

Fake addresses and six-hour display windows

The typical scheme for evading moderation works as follows: pages list fake addresses and claim to be based in the United States, while the profile's 'transparency' section reveals multiple administrators located in Southeast Asia. Ads are shown in short display windows of six to eight hours, after which they disappear. Tracing the network is extremely difficult, and the pages remain on the platform even after specific campaigns have been stopped.

The ads lead to websites and apps where users are invited to link a bank account for real-money betting on card games and slots. Advertisers emphasize "secure transactions" and "instant withdrawals," luring users with referral bonuses and cashback on heavy losses.

Why it is so difficult to determine who is behind the ads

In most countries, gambling advertising is not classified as political, meaning that less stringent transparency requirements apply to it. It is often impossible to determine which audiences are targeted by the ads or how much money has been spent on them. Data on the advertisers themselves remains virtually inaccessible.

Meta's rules and the reality that does not match them

Over the summer, Meta published its online gambling advertising policy, including a ban across 18 "unsupported markets." The platform stated that advertisers are required to comply with local legislation and that the company "bears no responsibility" for how authorized ad accounts adhere to local rules. Meta did not respond to Rest of World's requests for an interview or comment.

120,000 requests and accusations of inaction

Malaysia's Communications Minister Фахми Фадзил has repeatedly criticized Meta for its failure to curb illegal advertising. In his view, if an ad is paid for by credit card and the platform knows the content violates the law, it is obligated to block the payment account. In September, Фахми Фадзил met with Meta executives and announced more than 120,000 content removal requests related to illegal gambling. He accused the company of insufficient cooperation in the fight against cybercrime.

A Reuters investigation found that Meta received more than $16 billion — approximately 10% of its revenue — from fraudulent advertising, including scams, prohibited goods, and illegal gambling.

The ads keep appearing

Despite legislative bans and Meta's own restrictions, online casino advertising campaigns continue to surface on its platforms. Schemes involving short-term display windows and fake data make enforcement more difficult, and the transparency of advertising data remains limited. Regulators are intensifying pressure, while Meta has offered no public response to the specific allegations and findings of the investigation.