Meta, in cooperation with the state-owned platform PlayCity, blocked seven Instagram accounts that systematically advertised online casinos in violation of Ukrainian law.
(The material is supplemented with a comment from the Ministry of Digital Affairs)
Meta, in cooperation with the state-owned platform PlayCity, blocked seven Instagram accounts that systematically advertised online casinos in violation of Ukrainian law.
(The material is supplemented with a comment from the Ministry of Digital Affairs)
This was reported on the Telegram channel of the Ministry of Digital Affairs. The blocked accounts regularly published Stories with a demonstration of winnings and left clickable links to the websites of gambling platforms. Such content violates the legislation of Ukraine on advertising gambling. In particular, in Ukraine, only licensed brands are allowed to advertise and only on limited platforms: on night TV, on the websites of gambling organizers, in specialized media for adults, etc.
It is important that gambling advertisements must contain a warning about the risk of gambling addiction, which takes up at least 15% of the message area, and must also be marked as 21+. It is strictly forbidden to involve minors, military personnel, doctors, volunteers in such campaigns, offer bonuses, or promise «easy money.»
The Ministry of Digital Affairs emphasizes that no blogger is immune, even with a large audience or personal connections. In the event of a violation, the data is transferred to Meta for further action. This is exactly what happened in this case.
After the legalization of gambling in Ukraine in 2020, the state began to more actively combat the shadow segment of the market, particularly in the online space. Social networks, especially Instagram and Telegram, have become one of the key channels for promoting illegal gambling. In response, government structures have strengthened cooperation with platforms at the level of content moderation and combating shadow advertising schemes.
UPD 16:50 In response to a request from dev.ua, the Ministry of Digital Affairs reported that the blocking of bloggers' accounts took place as part of cooperation with Meta. This is not about sanctions, but about a technical way to stop the violation, which is in line with the company’s internal policies and the principle of compliance with local legislation.
Meta, as a platform operating in Ukraine, has the right to restrict or block user pages if they violate the requirements of Ukrainian law. In the case of gambling advertising, there are clearly defined rules, including licensing, age marking, and advertising content.
According to representatives of the Ministry of Digital Affairs, PlayCity cooperates with Meta on issues of compliance with the rules of advertising gambling and lotteries on the company’s platforms. It was within the framework of this cooperation that the accounts were discovered and blocked.
The total audience of the blocked pages reached almost a million subscribers. The list included the following accounts: dima.kitselyuk, n_ikusya rezerv, kiss_darcy, milan.nikolenko, fileva_oli, mumtwins23, and ilia.gaiterovv.
We also published an article about how PlayCity fined eight casinos for reporting violations: the total amount reached 3.2 million hryvnias. The organizers of gambling games did not provide the mandatory information required by law, despite having licenses.
