Study: Meta can prevent violations

Two British researchers analysed 277 gambling adverts posted on Facebook and Instagram by operators licensed in the Netherlands. A significant proportion of the risk of violations could be avoided if Meta better adapted its advertising rules to national requirements.

Who actually sees gambling adverts?

Two British researchers, Leon Xiao and Callum Deery, examined adverts displayed on Meta’s platforms, primarily Facebook and Instagram. Their work focused on the Dutch market, where rules governing gambling advertising have become stricter in recent years.

Their research follows a report by De Groene Amsterdammer, published in July 2024, which looked at the illegal targeting of young adults by gambling adverts. That initial investigation focused solely on online casinos. The two British researchers chose to broaden the scope of their study to include land-based operators as well.

To conduct their analysis, the researchers drew on the gambling guidelines issued by the Dutch regulatory authority. They identified 30 online casinos and 525 land-based operators authorised to offer gambling services in the Netherlands, and therefore to promote them within the established legal framework. Using this as a basis, they consulted Meta’s ad library between March 2024 and March 2025. Their method involved examining the ten most recent adverts per selected advertising account. In total, 277 adverts were studied.

Under the European Digital Services Act, Meta is required to make certain information about paid adverts published on its platforms available. This information includes, in particular, the identity of the advertiser, the targeting parameters used and the groups actually reached by the advertisements. In theory, this transparency should enable researchers, authorities and the public to better understand how advertisements circulate. In practice, the study shows that the data provided does not always allow for an accurate assessment of compliance with national rules.

The 24-year-old threshold

In the Netherlands, the rules vary depending on the type of operator. For online gambling companies, adverts must reach as few young adults as possible. At least 95% of those reached must be aged 24 or over. Land-based operators, too, must not target young adults. However, they are not subject to the same reporting requirements as online operators. This difference already complicates the overall assessment of compliance with the rules.

Added to this are the age categories used by Meta. The lowest adult category displayed in the ad library is 18 to 24 years old. However, Dutch legislation specifically distinguishes between those under 24 and others. Those aged 24 may be included in the legally targeted audience, whereas those aged 18 to 23 should not be. An advertisement may appear to have reached the 18–24 age group, without it being clear what proportion relates to people aged 18 to 23 and what proportion relates to those aged 24.

The researchers explain that the reach data provided by Meta does not allow for an accurate assessment of compliance, as the age groups used do not correspond to legal requirements. According to them, the very design of the platform can give a misleading impression: some adverts may appear to have illegally reached people under the age of 24, even though the targeting settings may have been adjusted in accordance with the rules.

Compliance is difficult to measure, but there are worrying signs

The study therefore does not allow us to conclude with certainty that all the advertisements observed violate the regulations. The age categories make the analysis imperfect.

Some advertisers have, in fact, opted for a cautious approach. To avoid any ambiguity, they have defined their audience as aged 25 and over. In such cases, the 18–24 age group appears as zero, which reduces the risk of misinterpretation.

However, not all advertisements were configured in this way. The researchers found 31 adverts for which the defined minimum age was under 24. This suggests that certain settings could allow audiences that are too young to be reached.

Among terrestrial broadcasters, 14 of the 47 advertisements examined were aimed at an audience aged 18 or over. This is contrary to the applicable rules. However, the study does not make it possible to determine precisely how many people aged between 18 and 23 were actually reached by these adverts.

The researchers therefore assessed compliance based on the selected targeting parameters. According to this approach, online operators have the highest compliance rate, at 92.7%. Terrestrial operators fare worse, at 70.2%.

When an automated tool circumvents the set limits

One of the most striking findings of the study concerns a Meta advertising tool called ‘Advantage+’. According to the findings, some problematic cases involved VBET, for online gaming, and Holland Casino, for land-based operators.

After identifying these situations, the researchers contacted the companies concerned to understand what had happened. The operators explained that a partner had accidentally left this setting, provided by Meta, enabled. The tool works using an algorithm designed to identify people likely to be interested in the advertisement. The problem is that this system can operate beyond the age limits set manually.

The explanation put forward also relates to a difference in international standards. Gambling is generally restricted to those aged 18 and over in many countries. However, in the Dutch case studied, advertising regulations require specific protection for those under 24. If Meta’s tool does not automatically take this difference into account, errors may occur.

Simple solutions, according to the researchers

Leon Xiao and Callum Deery propose several avenues for improvement.

The first involves adapting advertising settings by country. Meta should automatically apply the relevant national rules to sensitive categories such as gambling. If Dutch legislation requires particular caution for those under 24, the platform should block adverts from reaching these audiences by default.

The second proposal concerns access to gambling advertising. The researchers suggest that only operators approved in advance should be allowed to run such adverts.

The third recommendation relates to the default settings for adverts. Gambling adverts should be automatically disabled for people under the age of 24.

Gambling operators remain responsible for their campaigns. They must be aware of the applicable rules and ensure that their adverts do not target prohibited audiences. However, researchers highlight another aspect: Meta has considerable technical power. The platform controls age categories, targeting options, optimisation tools and distribution mechanisms. It can therefore make compliance easier or, conversely, more difficult.