Paf Shares Licensing Data with Meta to Identify Unlicensed Gambling Ads in Switzerland
Paf is supplying Meta with licensing data on mycasino.ch and Grand Casino Luzern to help block unlicensed gambling ads in Switzerland. The information-sharing deal, involving Swiss regulators and no financial investment, tests platform enforcement amid European criticism including a Dutch lawsuit citing over 90% illegal ads on Facebook.
SCCG Take — This model exposes the practical limits of voluntary data handovers without stronger platform accountability measures. Its results will show whether such partnerships can deliver measurable compliance gains or require regulatory mandates to prove effective.
Paf has entered a collaboration with Meta to curb unlicensed gambling advertising reaching players in Switzerland. The Nordic operator, owned by the Government of Åland, will supply licence documentation and website URLs covering mycasino.ch, Grand Casino Luzern and affiliated operations. The information-sharing arrangement is designed to help Meta distinguish authorised operators from unregulated ones, with Swiss regulators participating in the process.
The deal involves no direct financial investment from either party. It arises as Meta faces sustained criticism across Europe for the volume of illegal gambling promotions on Facebook and Instagram. Paf has noted the practical difficulties in verifying licences across multiple jurisdictions.
Pressure on Tech Platforms from Regulated Markets
Meta maintains that it operates detection systems to block unlicensed advertising, yet these continue to be bypassed. In the Netherlands, VNLOK, the online gambling operators’ association, is suing Meta. The claim is that more than 90 per cent of gambling advertisements on Facebook in that market come from operators lacking a Dutch licence, according to reporting by Focus Gaming News.
The Swiss initiative therefore functions as a test of whether industry-supplied compliance data can strengthen platform controls in a single regulated jurisdiction. Success will turn on Meta’s integration and response to the provided licensing information rather than on new technology alone.
Limits of Information-Sharing Models
The arrangement carries clear constraints. It depends entirely on voluntary cooperation and Meta’s willingness to act on the data. Without binding enforcement tools or financial incentives, the risk remains that unlicensed operators will continue to find pathways around the controls.
For regulators and licensed operators, the outcome will indicate whether targeted data partnerships can scale beyond Switzerland. Early results may determine if similar arrangements become standard practice or remain isolated experiments in specific markets.
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