Italy fines Meta for gambling ad

The Italian Communications Authority (Agcom) announced that it had imposed a fine of 5.8 million euros on the Meta group for violating the ban on broadcasting gambling advertisements, reported AFP.
"At its meeting on 20 December, the Communications Regulatory Authority fined Meta Platforms Ireland Limited Ltd €5,850,000 for breaching the ban on broadcasting gambling advertising," Agcom said.
Agcom "identified the presence of advertising content or other advertising, including indirect advertising related to games or betting with monetary winnings, in 18 profiles/accounts (5 on Instagram and 13 on Facebook), as well as 32 sponsored contents," he added.
Since 2018, Italian law prohibits any form of advertising, even indirect, related to games or betting with monetary winnings, as well as gambling, especially in the media, on billboards and digital platforms, including social networks.
In its capacity as owner and host, Meta was held accountable and sanctioned, Agcom explained.
The American social networking giant, for which Europe is a key market, has already been fined several times, notably for breaching the European Data Protection Regulation and for failing to process data related to minors.
Agcom recently fined Youtube and Twitch for the same reasons as Meta. /BGNES