Nordic gambling operator Paf has agreed to work with Meta on a pilot project designed to identify and restrict advertising from unlicensed gambling companies, starting with the regulated Swiss market.
The Åland-based operator will provide Meta with information intended to help the technology company distinguish licensed gambling businesses and affiliates from illegal operators. The data supplied through the project will include licensing documentation and website URLs, alongside other information that can improve Meta’s understanding of legitimate and unlicensed gambling activity on its platforms.
Paf officially announced the initiative on 5 October, confirming that work on the project would begin shortly. Switzerland will serve as the testing ground, with the companies aiming to develop a model that could eventually be expanded into additional regulated gambling markets.
Paf Chief Business Development Officer Jesper Eliasson first disclosed the agreement during SBC Summit Lisbon. Paf is also the technology partner behind Swiss online casino mycasino.ch, owned by Grand Casino Luzern. According to iGaming Business, Eliasson met Facebook representatives in Lisbon alongside Grand Casino Luzern CEO Wolfgang Bliem before the pilot was agreed.
Eliasson said Paf does not want licensed businesses competing on equal terms with operators that have avoided licensing fees, regulatory compliance requirements and responsible gambling obligations. While the company has not guaranteed the pilot will solve the problem, it views direct cooperation with Meta as a potential way to improve enforcement against illegal gambling advertising.
The initiative comes as Meta faces mounting pressure elsewhere in Europe over gambling marketing on Facebook and Instagram.
Dutch licensed gambling trade association VNLOK has summoned Meta to an Amsterdam court, arguing that the company has not done enough to prevent advertisements from unlicensed operators reaching Dutch consumers. VNLOK previously submitted a complaint to the European Commission and has claimed that more than 90% of gambling adverts it analysed on Facebook were connected to operators without a Dutch licence.
VNLOK has also reported that more than 70,000 gambling-related advertisements appeared on Meta-owned platforms during the fourth quarter of 2025, with more than 95% linked to unlicensed operators and fewer than 5% removed. The association said Meta removed only 11% of illegal adverts it flagged in May and 15% in June.
Paf’s approach therefore differs significantly from the legal action being pursued in the Netherlands. Instead of challenging Meta through regulators or the courts, the operator is testing whether closer information sharing can give the platform better tools for detecting illegal gambling businesses.
The experiment could also have wider significance for Nordic gambling markets. Paf is preparing for Finland’s transition to a competitive licensed gambling system, making effective controls against unlicensed operators an increasingly important issue as the country moves away from its existing monopoly structure.
If the Swiss pilot proves effective and is expanded, it could provide regulated gambling operators and Meta with a practical framework for limiting black-market advertising across other jurisdictions.