Meta has pulled down 159 million fraudulent advertisements and suspended 10.9 million accounts across Facebook and Instagram this year, marking a significant escalation in its enforcement against illegal gambling promotions and scam operations.

The social media giant has faced mounting pressure from regulators, particularly the UK Gambling Commission, over its handling of unlicensed gambling ads. Commission officials have repeatedly pointed out that if they can identify illegal operators on Meta’s platforms, the company certainly should be able to.

The numbers represent a substantial shift in Meta’s approach. Previous Reuters reporting suggested the company had been slow to act on problematic gambling ads because they generated meaningful revenue.

That calculation appears to have changed.

UN-Led International Cooperation

Meta joined Amazon, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Pinterest at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime Global Fraud Summit in Vienna this week, signing an agreement to coordinate anti-fraud efforts across platforms.

The cross-border initiative aims to tackle scammers who exploit multiple platforms simultaneously, making enforcement more difficult for individual companies. By pooling resources and intelligence, the tech firms hope to identify and remove fraudulent operations faster. Look, it’s about time they started talking to each other.

The move comes after a December Reuters investigation found Meta was profiting from fraudulent Chinese gambling advertisements that repeatedly violated its policies. The company’s latest actions suggest it’s taking steps to address those criticisms directly.

Quality Over Revenue

The crackdown reflects broader concerns within the tech sector about user experience degradation. Scam ads and fraudulent gambling promotions don’t just violate regulations, they erode trust in the platforms themselves.

For legitimate operators, Meta’s enforcement represents a levelling of the playing field. Licensed gambling companies that follow advertising rules have long competed for attention against unlicensed operators willing to bend or break those same regulations. Frankly, it’s been an uneven fight for years.

The UK Gambling Commission has been particularly vocal about Meta’s previous inaction. The regulator argued that the company possessed the tools and resources to identify illegal gambling ads but lacked the will to deploy them consistently. Fair point, to be honest.

Meta’s participation in the UN summit and its reported removal numbers this year indicate that calculation has shifted. Whether enforcement continues at this pace remains to be seen. The jury’s still out on that. But the initial figures show a company taking the issue seriously, at least for now.

What the team thinks

Sheena McAllister says:

While 159 million removed ads sounds impressive, the real test will be whether Meta can prevent these operators from simply creating new accounts and reposting within days, a pattern we’ve seen repeatedly in the compliance space. The UKGC has been clear that reactive takedowns aren’t enough, and what the industry really needs is proactive verification systems that prevent unlicensed operators from advertising in the first place. From a regulatory standpoint, the focus should shift to how Meta validates gambling licenses before ads go live, not just how many they remove after the fact.