Meta Partners With Paf to Fight Unlicensed Gambling Ads, Starting in Switzerland

Meta has entered a partnership with Åland Islands-based gambling operator Paf to help identify and remove advertisements from unlicensed gambling operators on its platforms. The pilot project, first confirmed by Paf on October 5, 2026, begins in Switzerland and could later expand to other regulated markets.

The agreement comes amid mounting legal pressure on Meta over unlicensed gambling ads. On September 28, the Dutch gambling association VNLOK took Meta to court in Amsterdam, alleging that more than 90 percent of the Facebook gambling advertisements it reviewed promoted unlicensed operators. VNLOK also claimed Meta removed only 11 percent of flagged ads in May and 15 percent in June.

Por que importa

Paf has taken a different approach, choosing direct cooperation rather than litigation. The company will supply Meta with licensing documents and website URLs covering licensed gambling operators and affiliates. The goal is to help Meta’s automated and human review systems identify advertisers that lack permission to target specific markets.

Key facts
| Detail | Information |
|——–|————-|
| Partners | Meta and Paf |
| Pilot location | Switzerland |
| Start date | October 5, 2026 |
| Paf’s role | Supply licensing data and operator URLs to Meta |
| Legal context | VNLOK lawsuit against Meta in Amsterdam on September 28, 2026 |

Contexto

Why Switzerland matters for the pilot
Paf selected Switzerland partly because of its existing relationship with Grand Casino Luzern, where Paf serves as the technology partner for mycasino.ch. That platform generates more than €100 million in annual revenue, giving Paf strong operational knowledge of the Swiss regulated market. Switzerland also has a clear licensing framework for online gambling, making it easier to distinguish licensed from unlicensed operators.

Jesper Eliasson, Chief Business Development Officer at Paf, explained the initiative during the SBC Summit in Lisbon on September 30. “I don’t want to share the market with anyone who has no license, has not paid for the license or the compliance work, and who also has no responsible gaming measures in place,” Eliasson said.

Cooperation alone is not enough
Paf has acknowledged that working with advertising platforms will not solve the problem of unlicensed gambling ads entirely. The company also wants regulators to issue cease-and-desist orders, cooperate across borders, and gain the ability to freeze assets belonging to operators that deliberately target regulated markets.

Eliasson also warned that overly restrictive gambling products could push players toward unlicensed websites. This balancing act between regulation and market appeal is a recurring concern for licensed operators.

What remains unconfirmed
Paf has not announced a timeline for completing the Swiss pilot or explained in detail how Meta will use the shared information internally. Both companies have stated they intend to continue cooperating even if the initial project does not produce the expected results.

For video poker and casino players, this partnership could eventually mean fewer ads from unlicensed operators on Facebook and Instagram, making it easier to identify legitimate, regulated gaming options. However, the pilot is still in its early stages, and its effectiveness remains to be seen.

Source: iGaming.org Casino News – https://igaming.org/casino-news/meta-partners-with-paf-to-identify-unlicensed-online-gambling-ads/

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