ANJ fights against Illegal Casinos on Facebook
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26 Mar 2024 •
Reading time: 3 minutes Through its site, the National Gambling Authority (ANJ) warns against a wave of misleading advertisements in favor of illegal online casinos on Facebook, abusing the logo of recognized land-based casinos and even the French Authority itself. -even. For several months, fake accounts have been redirecting consumers to unauthorized sites. These illegal casinos expose players to multiple risks, including fraud, loss of personal data, or non-payment of winnings.
The National Gaming Authority (ANJ), responsible for monitoring and regulating gambling, recently issued a warning against illegal online casinos advertising on Facebook. Indeed, since November 2023, hundreds of fake accounts have been created regularly on Facebook by impersonating prestigious groups such as Barrière, Partouche and JOA to redirect users to illegal sites.
The Barrière group of casinos and hotels contacted the ANJ in January, asking them to take measures and help them put an end to a false advertising campaign. This promotional campaign included at least 2,400 different advertisements on Facebook and Instagram.
Always the same method
Illegal casinos still operate the same way. They use a newly created user account with photos and logos in the name of the chosen French casino establishment.
They then create numerous publications, often on the theme of online casinos, with links to illegal websites or fake download pages for mobile applications such as APPLE STORE and GOOGLE PLAY. These pages themselves link to illegal gambling sites, mainly online casinos.
137 user accounts already blocked
The National Gaming Authority, which monitors illegal sites and unauthorized gaming platforms on a daily basis, has already transmitted around 400 URLs to META, the company that manages Facebook. As a result, 137 accounts have already been suspended.
The ANJ continues to identify and eliminate entities operating illegally, recalling that online casinos remain prohibited in France. With this, they want to combat the black market and create a gaming framework that is reliable for players and compliant with regulations.
The risks associated with visiting illegal sites are numerous and serious: they include the possibility of not receiving your winnings, of being a victim of fraud or theft of personal data, of not being able to take legal action in the event of conflict, or even suffer the consequences of installing malware on your computer, tablet or smartphone.
Illegal casinos are flourishing in Belgium
Since July 2023, Belgian law formally prohibits advertising for online casinos. However, this measure has not been able to prevent the rise of advertising campaigns for illegal platforms. Malicious operators continue to create fake profiles, promoting the illegal casino. Others even go so far as to offer mobile applications claiming to be “Belgian only” to attract the public.
The example below is purely illustrative and in no way constitutes advertising for an illegal casino. Always play at casinos licensed by the Gambling Commission. You can read how to proceed when choosing legal casinos.
Belgium has created a blacklist of these illegal casinos in order to give consumers the means to clearly distinguish legal online casinos from those that are not. It is crucial that users exercise greater vigilance when confronted with online casino advertisements on social media or via mobile applications, in order to avoid traps set by unregulated entities.
Unfortunately, most players are currently unaware of the difference between legal and illegal casinos. This is clear from the study conducted by Nepa earlier this year. It is expected that many people looking for casinos are currently exposed to these fraudulent practices on a daily basis, and the illegal offering will only gain ground in Belgium. It remains to be seen whether the Gambling Commission can effectively intervene at some point to prevent this.