The current federal law prohibiting the broadcast advertising of gambling activities (presumably including Internet gambling) is the Communications Act of 1934, currently codified in 18 U.S.C. §§1304 and 1307, (hereafter referred to as '§1304″or '§1307'). The gambling and betting advertising rules are designed to ensure that ads are socially responsible, with particular regard to the need to protect children, young persons under 18 and other vulnerable groups from being harmed or exploited by advertising that features or promotes gambling and betting.
What you can do to limit gambling ads
It is not possible to remove ads on the platform or from apps, however, you are able to hide them by selecting the down arrow menu or the 'x' in the top right-hand corner of the sponsored post.
In addition, you can adjust your ads preferences to see ads that are more relevant to you. To find more information regarding 'can I block ads' on Facebook and 'how can I adjust my ad preferences', please view this article from their Help Center. Your settings can be found here.
We are in discussions with Facebook and the Gambling Commission about ways to improve the level of protection available.
Facebook's policy on gambling advertising
Adverts that promote or facilitate online real money gambling, real money games of skill or real money lotteries, including online real money casinos, sport books, bingo or poker, are only allowed with prior written permission. Authorised gambling, games of skill or lottery adverts must target people over the age of 18 who are in jurisdictions for which permission has been granted.
Examples of what is not permitted include:
- Portraying or encouraging irresponsible gambling behaviour
- Presenting gambling as an income opportunity or employment alternative
- Content using currency symbols unrealted to a specific monetary amount
What you can do to limit gambling ads
GambleAware is unaware of any general facility to limit exposure to gambling ads.
You can block tweets from individual gambling companies. Click the down arrow and look for the option to 'Block @..'
If the tweet is an advert, you can in the same menu select 'I don't like this ad'
You can also select 'Why am I seeing this ad', and access these two pages using the links provided here.
Here you can disconnect other apps you might have allowed to connect to your Twitter account, and various other options for reviewing and amending the profile advertisers use to target you.
On this page, you can de-select interests which might be a cause for more gambling-related content - one of which is potentially 'gambling' but also un-ticking sport related interests such as 'Football' could also help
Un-ticking some or all of the options on this page may reduce the data by which gambling-related advertisers may be targeting you
This is not an exact science, and amending the settings above will not guarantee you are protected from seeing gambling-related content and adverts, but it may help reduce the volume.
We are in discussions with Twitter and the Gambling Commission about ways to improve the level of protection available.
Twitter's policy on gambling advertising
Twitter prohibits the promotion of gambling content, except for campaigns targeting specified countries where it is allowed with restrictions as explained below.
Note: In certain cases listed below, advertisers are only permitted if they have prior authorisation from Twitter.
This policy applies, but is not limited, to:
- Online casinos and gambling, sports betting, and bingo
- Physical, brick-and-mortar casino establishments
- Online fantasy sports sites
- Bonus codes, vouchers and coupons redeemable for gambling content
- E-books/sites facilitating or leading to online gambling-related content, including affiliates and other sites driving traffic to gambling
- Gambling-related software such as gambling software and poker odds calculators
- Sites or services providing tips, odds, handicapping, sports picks, forecasts or poker odds calculators
- Scratch games
- Lotteries
- Games/apps played for money
This policy generally does not prohibit:
- Hotels with a casino where the focus is on the hotel
- Gambling accessories (such as poker chips or pachinko machines)
- News and information about fantasy sports
How does this policy vary from country to country?
Advertisements for licensed brick-and-mortar casinos are globally prohibited, [but the UK is an exception]. Ffxiii-2 casino slot machine guide machine.
UK:
- Online casinos, sports betting, bingo and lottery advertising targeting the United Kingdom are permitted provided advertisers are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission.
- Operators licensed solely by a white listed UK Jurisdiction (currently Antigua & Barbuda, Alderney, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Malta, and Tasmania) may only target the jurisdiction the license is from.
- Sites driving traffic to gambling operators in the UK--(except lottery aggregators) such as affiliates, tips or odds sites--are permitted as long as they do not require a license or other permission for their activities. If an advertiser's status changes in this regard, or they are the subject of any ruling of a legal, regulatory authority, or industry body pertinent to their activities, they must inform Twitter immediately. These advertisers are only allowed with prior authorization from Twitter.
- Fantasy sports ads are permitted.
What you can do to limit gambling ads
Google has provided the following information: See Google's remove unwanted ads external page which outlines the below.
Google does not allow gambling advertisers to remarket to users based on any gambling-related interest category e.g. poker, sports betting, etc.
Users can:
- Block specific advertisers
Can You Advertise Gambling On Instagram
This feature exists on Google Search, Maps, YouTube and gMail when you are signed into your Google account. Instructions for each product listed in above external link. This will allow users to block advertisers such as Paddy Power, 888. Bet365, etc.
- Mute similar ads
Can You Advertise Gambling On Facebook
For other display ads that appear when users are on other websites, users can choose to ‘mute the ad'. This will stop other ads very similar to it that have been purchased by the same advertiser, as well as other ads from the same advertiser that uses the same web url.
Thousands of Americans gamble online. But is online gambling legal? We break it down to show you what you can do, what you can't do, and what's still up in the air.
by Katherine Butler
updated September 03, 2020 · 2min read
The legality of online gambling is ever-changing. But one thing is constant: it makes a lot of money. Online gambling industry makes an estimated $1 billion dollars annually. This is a huge business, and a lot of people have cashed in on it. But it has led to some ambiguous legal issues, as the legality of online gambling is constantly being challenged.
Can You Advertise Gambling On Facebook
There are differences in the legality of making bets, taking bets, facilitating payments to casinos, and advertising on websites. And there are constantly new legal challenges. So here is a breakdown of the law on online gambling.
Legal Forms of Gambling
There is no federal law against placing a wager online. So, you can legally place a bet online. However, a wager must not be placed on a site located in the United States. There is a small chance players might run afoul of state law, but there is little chance of prosecution. The only case cited where a person got into trouble with a state was in 2003. Jeffrey Trauman of North Dakota paid a $500 fine on over $100,000 of online sports bet winnings.
Sites that are set up outside of the United States are legal. Therefore, gambling on websites located in areas like Australia, the Caribbean, and Latin America is legal. Just be very clear that the site you are playing on is not based on U.S. soil.
Definitely Not Legal Forms of Gambling
It is never legal to gamble on a website based in the United States. Also, if you are planning to operate an online gambling site, stay outside of the United States. You must also deal only with casino and poker wagers (not sports bets) from people in the US. And you cannot take bets over the phone from people in the United States.
Accepting online gambling advertising is also illegal. If you are a small publisher, you are less likely to be prosecuted, but why risk it? As of early 2009, only large and mid-size publishers had faced prosecution. In 2007, the three big search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft) each paid a fine for accepting online gambling ads, but did not face criminal charges. Other publishers, such as Esquire Magazine, have been warned by the government not to take online gambling advertising.
Facilitating the transfer of funds to online casinos is also a bad idea. As of 2006, it became illegal for American banks to process transactions originating from or directed toward any online gambling operator. Because of this, several sites then refused to take bets from American players. But as the law seems difficult to enforce, it has not turned the tide completely for American players.
Still up in the Air
Advertisers who promote sports books in magazines and on billboards may or may not face prosecution. So far, sports books have never been scrutinized for advertising online. And online casinos, poker rooms, and sports books have never been prosecuted for buying ads.
Online casinos and operators still accept American players. And international financial parties have continued to process their transactions. The legality is always changing and there have been attempts to declare online wagering against the law, but for now, U.S. citizens who simply place bets online are in the clear.
