Another recognisable brand’s logos have been used by an unlicensed casino targeting UK players on social media, as Tesco has contacted the City of London Police on the matter, according to reports.
The Guardian stated that the fake ‘Tesco casino’ was advertised on Facebook and had its own page on the platform until Meta was queried on the matter by the newspaper.
According to The Guardian, the ads were linked to a website that claims to be ‘the official Tesco casino’, with slot games ‘laid out as clearly as the aisles at a Tesco Extra’ and a casino ‘built on the trust of Tesco, a FTSE 100 company with 107 years of UK trading history since 1919’.
The news outlet reported that Tesco declined to comment but referred its concerns to the National Cyber Security Centre and Report Fraud service, which is operated by City of London Police.
A spokesperson for City of London Police told The Guardian that a complaint had been received, but it hadn’t been referred to a police force for investigation ‘at this time’.
Tesco joins a list of brands and famous people that have seen their likeness used by casinos without a licence from the Gambling Commission (GC), targeting players in the UK illegally on social media platforms.
It also sees Meta and social media overall continue to receive criticism for allowing unlicensed operators to advertise gambling on their platforms, with regulators across the globe saying the company can do more to combat gambling’s black market.
Back in June, Kansspelautoriteit fired at TikTok and Meta, stating that ‘not nearly enough’ is being done to combat the surge of illicit advertising on the platforms. Meanwhile, Dutch trade association VNLOK filed a complaint with the European Commission over illegal gambling ads on Meta’s platforms.
GC Executive Director Tim Miller also told iGaming Daily back in June that more can be done to combat illegal gambling advertising on social media platforms.
Miller said: “I find it almost incredible that you read in the news all of these kinds of tech billionaires competing to be the first one to put a man on Mars. They think they can deliver that. Yet, they seem to claim that they are incapable of stopping non-GamStop ads appearing on their platforms. I mean, that’s just nonsensical.
“If they don’t play their role – and frankly they’re not at the moment – it massively undermines the efforts that the rest of us are putting in place.”
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