What happened
VNLOK has filed a lawsuit against Meta over gambling adverts shown on Facebook and Instagram. The group says more than 90% of the Facebook gambling ads it examined were placed by illegal operators.
Why illegal operators are a problem
Operators without a licence do not have to follow player-protection rules. That can mean no identity checks, no deposit limits and no help for people showing signs of harm.
Licensed companies also complain that they follow strict advertising rules while unlicensed rivals reach the same audience on social media.
Why it matters
The case asks whether a platform that earns money from adverts should be responsible for checking that gambling advertisers are licensed. If the claim succeeds, social networks may be expected to check advertisers against official licence lists before running gambling ads in a country.
