GamStop Engages Meta and Reddit to Remove Ads Targeting Self-Excluded Players

GamStop has met with Meta and Reddit to reduce the visibility of advertising from non-GamStop casinos that target self-excluded players in the UK. Matt Burgiss, GamStop’s Head of External Affairs, outlined the initiative during SBC’s Player Protection Day, as reported by Slot Beats.

Burgiss said: “We’ve started to do some work with sort of big tech companies like Meta and Reddit and things like that to try and get those adverts kind of taken down as quickly as possible and recognised through their AI software.” This follows earlier revelations from Katie Reynolds-Jones, GamStop’s Chief Marketing Officer, that Reddit’s chat bots have recommended non-GamStop casinos to self-excluded individuals.

Scale of Unlicensed Advertising and the Black Market

Concerns persist over social media platforms’ response. The Dutch trade body VNLOK found that 97% of gambling advertising on Meta comes from the unlicensed sector. The UK black market is estimated to have reached stakes of £16.6bn annually.

Burgiss called for greater collaboration. He said: “The black market is a serious threat to vulnerable people that we obviously serve. It’s a very complex issue. It’s very difficult. It’s not a one-person or one-organisation thing that can be solved. It’s really about everyone playing their part within that. I think the government, certainly in the UK for us, have a part to play. But in other regulatory spaces as well. I think the industry itself. Anyone that’s using a supplier that is also supplying the black market needs to have a look at that as well because it’s funding [these adverts].”

The UK government formed the Illegal Gambling Taskforce and provided the Gambling Commission £26m in extra funding across three years. Simon Zinger, Entain’s Group General Counsel and Chief Customer Care Officer, described the £26m figure as a ‘drop in the ocean’.

Limits of Isolated Action

Burgiss added: “There’s a lot of work going on from our end, but it isn’t something that we can solve alone. We’re just trying to collaborate with as many different [stakeholders] because it’s very difficult for our consumers to see, and it’s that extra kind of push into a market that’s extremely dangerous.”

Targeted tech engagements can accelerate ad removal, yet the funding levels and coordination gaps suggest enforcement will remain uneven until suppliers, platforms and regulators align on shared accountability.