Gambling and influencer marketing: The risks of targeting youth

In today's world, where social networks have become the primary source of information and entertainment for tens of millions of users, controlling gambling advertising is both increasingly important and increasingly difficult. While strict regulations exist for advertising in the legal gambling sector, their effectiveness is significantly undermined if adequate attention is not given to illegal gambling operators, who actively promote their services in the digital space. This poses a serious risk to society, particularly to young people, who are frequently exposed to viral content shared by bloggers and influencers on platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and others, where short-form videos are the primary medium for spreading messages.

One of the main challenges in combating influencer marketing in the gambling sector is that much of the harmful content is presented as “personal experience.” This makes it difficult to identify illegal advertising, as these stories are not explicitly promotional and are often disguised as genuine user experiences. However, the development and implementation of strict verification and authentication rules for players in the digital space can enable more accurate tracking of gambling-related content and help classify such content as advertising. This is one of the most effective tools in combating the promotion of illegal gambling disguised as native content.

From a regulatory perspective, blocking such content remains challenging. Nonetheless, international examples show that it is possible. For instance, the Chinese social network TikTok recently introduced restrictions on gambling advertising in the Philippines, in line with local legislation. Since August 22, the platform has banned all advertising related to real-money gambling services, allowing it only under specific, clearly defined conditions. This example demonstrates the importance of cooperation between social media platforms and regulators to protect young people from the harmful effects of unregulated gambling advertising.

An effective tool in this fight is cooperation between national regulators and social media owners. This allows for quick and efficient blocking of illegal content, as well as significantly increases the risk of losing accounts and bringing dishonest bloggers and influencers to justice. An example of such cooperation in the Ukrainian market is the recent joint effort by Meta and PlayCity that resulted in the blocking of seven Instagram accounts that illegally promoted casinos. Among them are popular news pages and accounts of well-known bloggers with an audience of millions. These accounts systematically published stories of "easy wins" and active links to gambling platforms, which directly violate the law and ruin social media users.

Therefore, the fight against illegal hybrid gambling advertising in the digital space requires a comprehensive approach. The application of strict regulations and verification mechanisms helps to identify illegal resources and influencers that promote them. At the same time, a close dialogue between government agencies and social media platforms should be maintained to ensure a quick response to violations.

Only joint efforts by the state, businesses, and civil society can create a relatively safe information environment—one that protects players from gambling-related risks and promotes a responsible approach to gambling. It is important to recognize that the digital space evolves rapidly; therefore, measures to regulate online gambling must be flexible, timely, and focused on prevention. Raising awareness of these risks and fostering responsibility—especially toward young people—must go hand in hand with technical solutions. Only through this combined approach can we achieve meaningful progress in combating illegal gambling advertising spread through influencer marketing.