Can Meta, Google Curb Illegal Gambling?
The article discusses the escalating issue of illegal online gambling in India, which has surpassed $100 billion annually and is growing at a rate of 30% per year. This surge is attributed to increased digital adoption, technological advancements, and regulatory uncertainties. A report by the Digital India Foundation emphasizes the pivotal role that major tech companies like Meta and Google play in this ecosystem. These platforms are utilized by illegal gambling operators for advertising, user acquisition, and payment processing, often through sophisticated digital networks that include social media promotions and cryptocurrency transactions. Between October and December 2024, four major illegal gambling platforms—Parimatch, Stake, 1xBet, and Battery Bet—recorded 1.6 billion visits, with social media driving approximately 42.8 million of these visits. The report advocates for a comprehensive strategy to combat this issue, recommending that tech giants enforce stricter compliance measures and collaborate with government agencies to monitor and eliminate illegal gambling-related content. It also highlights the need for assigning liability to key enablers within the illegal gambling market, suggesting that merely blocking websites is insufficient without addressing the broader ecosystem that supports these operations.
