Court: Meta must block illegal gambling ads
The ruling in favor of the Barrière Group sets a dangerous precedent for Mark Zuckerberg’s company. The court rejected the argument of "platform neutrality" and requires it to filter ads for unlicensed casinos that impersonate legitimate brands.
Meta’s strategy of "turning a blind eye" is running out. In a decisive ruling issued on January 28, the Paris Court of Appeals confirmed that the parent company of Facebook and Instagram has the legal obligation to implement active measures to block advertising for illegal gambling.
The case was initiated by the Groupe Lucien Barrière, one of the most prestigious casino and hotel operators in France. The company was forced to sue the tech giant after detecting a flood of ads (more than 2,400 identified) using its brand and corporate image without permission to redirect users to banned casino apps and fraudulent sites.
The defense of "mere intermediary" is over
The most significant aspect of the ruling is that it dismantles Meta’s historic defense. The company tried to argue, as it often does in these lawsuits, that it has no "general obligation to monitor the content" uploaded by advertisers.
However, the court dismissed this argument. The judges considered that the massive volume of infringements and the urgency of the damage to the reputation of a legal operator justify immediate intervention. The ruling now requires Meta to use its own automated systems and algorithms to detect and block any ad that reproduces Barrière’s brands or promotes casino-style games without authorization. Additionally, it must maintain these filtering measures for one year and pay legal costs.
Meta under global crossfire
This ruling in Paris is not an isolated event but the latest chapter in a worldwide offensive by regulators and operators against the laxity of social networks.
- Netherlands: At the end of January, the trade association VNLOK revealed a shocking figure: 95% of gambling ads seen by Dutch users on Meta’s platforms come from illegal operators, undermining the regulated market.
- United Kingdom: Just a few days ago, during ICE Barcelona, Tim Miller (CEO of the UKGC) harshly criticized Meta for allowing ads that explicitly seek to target self-excluded players with phrases like "sites not on GamStop."
- Brazil and Malaysia: In Latin America, Brazil’s Attorney General had already demanded in August the removal of unauthorized promotions under the new betting law. In Malaysia, the government reported that out of 168,000 content removal requests sent to Facebook, about 120,000 were related to illegal gambling.
The message from the French judiciary and international regulators is unanimous: social platforms can no longer limit themselves to removing content only when they receive a complaint; they must be held responsible for what their algorithms decide to show the public.
Tags: META, META betting advertising, online casino advertising