Twitter Owner Fined €1.35m for Italian Gambling Ads

Violations and Penalties

Agcom found that certain X accounts were promoting gambling sites, which breaks the rules. They said X is responsible because these accounts had a blue check mark, even though the meaning of this mark has changed recently. Agcom says X should have checked what these accounts were doing.

Because of these violations, Agcom blocked access to two active X accounts. They’ve also fined other big social media platforms like Meta, Google, and Twitch recently.

Industry Response and Calls for Regulation Review

The European Gaming & Betting Association (EGBA) wants Italy to think again about banning gambling ads. They’re worried because a lot of people in Italy are gambling illegally, with estimates suggesting they spend about €25 billion each year. Most of this money, around €18.5 billion, goes to websites that aren’t licensed.

In summary, Agcom’s recent actions against Twitter and other social media platforms show Italy is serious about enforcing rules on gambling ads. This has sparked talks about whether these rules are actually working, especially with so much illegal gambling happening.

Related pages:

• Gambling news in Italy
• Gambling regulation news