Paf teams up with Meta to help block unlicensed gambling ads in Switzerland

11/03/26

The information-sharing deal will test whether big tech can more effectively identify licensed gambling operators in regulated markets.

Key takeaways

Paf has entered a collaboration with Meta aimed at reducing unlicensed gambling advertising in Switzerland.
The operator will provide licence documentation and website information covering mycasino.ch, Grand Casino Luzern and relevant affiliates.
The initiative is designed to help Meta distinguish licensed gambling businesses from unauthorised operators.
The agreement comes as Meta faces ongoing criticism in Europe over the prevalence of illegal gambling advertising on its platforms.
Swiss regulators will participate in the process, while the collaboration will operate through information-sharing rather than direct financial investment.

Paf and Meta are launching a cooperative effort to address one of the gambling industry’s most persistent regulatory challenges: unlicensed operators reaching consumers through social media advertising. By supplying licensing and verification data directly to Meta, Paf aims to improve the platform’s ability to identify authorised gambling businesses in Switzerland. The initiative could become an important test of how willing and able major technology platforms are to act on industry-provided compliance information as pressure grows across Europe to tackle illegal gambling promotion online.

Switzerland.- Paf has announced a collaboration with Facebook owner Meta aimed at preventing unlicensed gambling operators from targeting players in Switzerland through the social media platform. The Nordic gambling operator, which is owned by the Government of Åland, will provide Meta with information designed to help distinguish licensed businesses from unregulated ones.

Paf serves as the technology partner behind Swiss online casino mycasino.ch with Grand Casino Luzern. It said it will provide Meta with licence documentation and website URLs covering both operators and affiliates. The intention is that this will help Meta to build a clearer understanding of which businesses are authorised to operate within the market.

The agreement could provide a test case to explore how keen Facebook is to act on the information to do this given how it benefits from illegal gambling advertising. Elsewhere in Europe, the tech company has been criticised by regulators for not doing enough to prevent unlicensed gambling ads. In the Netherlands, representatives of the licensed industry have taken matters into their own hands. VNLOK, the online gambling operators’ association, is suing Meta. It accuses the tech giant of allowing large volumes of illegal gambling advertising to reach consumers in the Netherlands through Facebook and Instagram. It alleges that more than 90 per cent of gambling advertisements appearing on Facebook in the Netherlands come from operators that do not hold a Dutch licence.

Meta argues that it has detection systems in place in a bid to prevent advertising from unlicensed companies but that these are being bypassed. Meanwhile, Paf has expressed sympathy with the difficulties Meta may face in verifying licence claims across multiple jurisdictions in Europe.

Paf said its collaboration with Facebook will not require any direct financial investment, relying instead on information-sharing. Swiss regulators will also be involved in the process.

FAQs

What is the agreement between Paf and Meta?

Paf will provide Meta with licensing documentation and website details to help the social media company identify which gambling businesses are authorised to operate in Switzerland.

Why is Paf working with Meta?

The goal is to reduce the visibility of gambling advertisements from unlicensed operators and improve the distinction between regulated and unregulated businesses on Meta’s platforms.

Which operators are covered by the arrangement?

Paf said it will share information relating to its Swiss partnership with mycasino.ch and Grand Casino Luzern, as well as affiliated websites connected to those operations.

Why has Meta faced criticism from the gambling industry?

Regulators and licensed operators in several European markets have argued that Facebook and Instagram continue to carry large volumes of advertising from unlicensed gambling companies despite existing advertising controls.