Paf and Meta Launch Swiss Pilot to Block Illegal Gambling Ads

Gambling operator Paf is working with Meta on a pilot project designed to reduce advertising for unlicensed gambling businesses on Facebook in Switzerland.

The initiative is scheduled to begin next week and will give Meta additional regulatory data that can be used to distinguish operators and affiliates permitted to target Swiss players from businesses operating outside the country's licensing system.

Paf plans to provide licence documentation and website URLs as part of the project.

Jesper Eliasson, chief business development officer at Paf, announced the initiative during SBC Summit Lisbon after meeting Facebook representatives together with Wolfgang Bliem, CEO of Grand Casino Luzern.

Paf Will Supply Licensing Data to Meta

One of the challenges for advertising platforms is determining whether a gambling business is authorised to operate in the jurisdiction where an advertisement is shown.

Paf's approach is to provide Meta with verified information about licensed operators and their domains, giving the platform another dataset against which gambling advertisers can be assessed.

The pilot will cover both gambling operators and affiliates.

Eliasson said offshore operators can use advertising creatives and licensing claims that make automated detection difficult, particularly because a company may hold a licence in one jurisdiction while lacking authorisation to target customers in another.

Switzerland will initially serve as a test market. If the model proves workable, Paf wants to explore whether it can be expanded to other jurisdictions.

Swiss Regulator Could Join the Project

Paf also intends to involve Switzerland's gambling regulator in discussions with Meta.

The company wants to create a framework in which the platform, regulator and licensed industry can exchange information about authorised and unauthorised gambling businesses.

The initiative remains at an early stage and there is no guarantee it will eliminate illegal gambling advertising.

Paf has not announced a direct financial investment in the pilot. Eliasson described the company's contribution as primarily time, discussions and data sharing.

The approach adds another layer to Switzerland's existing enforcement system.

Under Swiss gambling law, online casino games can only be offered by land-based casinos that have received the required extension to their casino licence and approval for their online products.

Swiss authorities also maintain blocklists of unauthorised gambling domains, with internet providers required to restrict access to listed sites.

By August 2026, the Federal Gaming Board's blacklist alone contained more than 3,500 domains.

Paf Has Commercial Interest in Swiss Enforcement

Paf is already closely involved in Switzerland's regulated online casino market through its partnership with Grand Casino Luzern.

The company provides the platform and operational expertise behind mycasino.ch, which is owned by the Swiss casino.

Mycasino launched in 2019. According to Eliasson, the operation reached approximately €70 million in business after its first 16 months and currently holds more than 30% of the Swiss online casino market.

More recent figures cited by Paf indicate that the site now generates over €100 million annually.

That position gives Paf a direct commercial interest in limiting competition from operators that target Swiss customers without meeting the same licensing and compliance requirements.

The pilot also reflects a broader enforcement issue for regulated gambling markets. Blocking individual domains can restrict direct access to offshore sites, but customer acquisition often takes place through social media, affiliates and paid advertising before a player reaches the gambling platform itself.

If Paf and Meta can establish a reliable process for verifying gambling advertisers against local licensing data, the Swiss project could provide a model for markets facing similar problems with cross-border gambling promotion.