CRGL uses every opportunity to fight illegal activities in the gambling market. In particular, the Commission has recently tightened control over online gambling advertising. The success of these efforts is largely due to the partnership with Meta Platforms Inc. which owns one of the most popular social networks in Ukraine - Facebook and Instagram.
As I predicted, the recently launched partnership between CRGL and Meta Platforms Inc. has proved to be quite effective and has already begun to yield its first significant results. It was concluded as part of the measures taken by CRGL to implement the decision of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine of 20 April 2024 "On Counteracting the Negative Effects of Internet Gambling". According to this decision, strict restrictions were imposed on gambling organisers regarding the advertising of their products and services.
Although the partnership was concluded a month and a half ago, it has already helped to block more than 600 posts on Facebook and Instagram that contained gambling advertising. Meta Inc. also assisted in blocking access to 64 Instagram accounts of bloggers and opinion leaders who were spreading gambling ads despite the above restrictions.
These results are a strong signal to those in the online media community who believe that they can distribute any content, including advertising for rashist gambling brands, if they are well paid for it. This cooperation also demonstrates that even the online gambling segment can be effectively regulated, the main thing is to develop an appropriate mechanism and enlist the support of online resource owners.
However, there is one significant caveat to this positive news. Restrictions on gambling advertising do not apply to lottery operators, as lotteries are not legally considered gambling. However, this does not prevent lotteries from simulating gambling on their platforms and not paying any taxes or licence fees.
Therefore, lottery operators are outside the legal field of prohibition, which means that it is simply impossible to apply measures to them under the aforementioned partnership with Meta Inc. This allows them to freely use the company's social platforms to distribute their advertising. And, of course, they are not limited to these advertising channels.
The most absurd thing is that lottery operators can actually advertise the same types of entertainment - gambling - as gambling organisers, but remain completely unpunished. That is why lottery advertising should also be regulated. This can be done either by equating lotteries with gambling, as is done in the vast majority of Western countries, or by developing separate regulatory legislation for them. Moreover, it should cover not only advertising issues, but also the payment of taxes and licence fees, which lotteries have not paid with impunity for many years.
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