Meta and PlayCity block 7 bloggers for advertising online casinos
7 August 01:10
State agency PlayCity and American company Meta blocked 7 Instagram accounts for casino advertising. It is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
It is noted that bloggers systematically promoted online casinos via Stories: they published videos with winnings and left active links to websites.
“This is a violation of the law, for which accounts were blocked together with Meta,” the ministry said.
They also reminded that gambling advertising in Ukraine is allowed only according to clear rules:
- advertising is allowed only on an exhaustive list of advertising platforms, including nightly television, websites and apps of gambling organizers, specialized publications for adult audiences, etc;
- content must be labeled as 21 ;
- only legal licensed brands may be advertised;
- it is forbidden to show minors, military, volunteers, doctors, bonuses, calls to play, promises of easy money, hidden advertising of brands and famous people, except for athletes;
- at least 15% of the message should contain a warning about gambling addiction.
Users are also encouraged to send screenshots and links to [email protected] if they notice suspicious casino ads.
What happened before
on July 25, PlayCity agency announced the imposition of penalties on Trukh Ukraine for allegedly systematic gambling advertising in violation of Ukrainian legislation.
According to the regulator, the violations identified include
- lack of registration in the Register of Media Entities;
- use of manipulative phrases that may be misleading, for example: “won 2100 UAH out of 100”, “subscriber took 17,000”;
- lack of warnings about the risks of gambling addiction;
- advertising without contracts with licensed organizers.
As a reminder, in February 2025, the government transferred the function of formulating state policy in the field of gambling and lotteries to the Ministry of Digital Transformation. The newly created PlayCity agency is responsible for its implementation, which prioritizes the digitalization of the license issuance process, bringing the gambling market out of the shadows, and monitoring compliance with the rules.
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