Italy Fines Meta for Hosting Gambling Advertising

Facebook’s parent company, Meta, was fined 5.85 million euros ($6.4 million) by Italy’s communications commission on Friday for distributing gambling advertisements.

Since 2018, gambling advertising has been prohibited in Italy across all media, including social media.

It is reported that the inquiry “discovered promotional material or other advertising, including indirect, on 18 profiles/accounts (13 on Facebook and five on Instagram) for games or betting with real money, along with 32 sponsored contents.”

Agcom, the regularity authority, recently penalized Twitch and YouTube for comparable transgressions.

In Europe, Meta has already received multiple fines, primarily for breaking data protection regulations.