Paf pilot aims to help Meta remove illegal casino ads
Paf, the operator based in Finland's Åland Islands, is working with Meta on a pilot to reduce advertising by unlicensed online casinos on Facebook and Instagram. The project was revealed at SBC Summit.
The idea
Paf will hand Meta licensing documents and URLs so the platform can distinguish licensed operators from unlicensed sites and the affiliates promoting them. The pilot begins with a model for Switzerland that could later be applied elsewhere. Jesper Eliasson, Paf's head of business development, said Meta does not want illegal operators on its platforms but warned there is no guarantee of success.
- Paf provides licence documents and website addresses.
- Switzerland is the starting market.
- VNLOK counted more than 70,000 gambling ads on Meta in Q4 2025.
Meta in the spotlight
The Dutch gaming association VNLOK is suing Meta over illegal gambling advertising. It says 95% of the 70,000-plus ads it found in Q4 2025 came from unlicensed operators, and fewer than 5% were removed. Chair Björn Fuchs has urged Meta to take responsibility.
What Toronto players should do
In Ontario, only operators registered with iGaming Ontario and the AGCO may advertise. Check the register before signing up anywhere – our guides to licensed casinos and gambling laws in Canada explain how.
Source: SBC News, 6 October 2026. This article is based on publicly reported news; our editors summarised and rewrote it for Toronto readers.