Meta has failed to act on nearly a dozen reports against an Australian influencer promoting illegal offshore crypto-gambling, despite the regulator warning of fines up to $2.4 million. The influencer, known as Dinah, has 820,000 followers on Instagram and promoted Rainbet, a self-described online crypto casino, in multiple posts.
In one video, Dinah is shown being handed a phone with the Rainbet app running, captioned: “WHY PAY RENT WHEN U CAN JUST DOUBLE IT???? (ty rainbet! link in bio – helps me out a lot).” Another video shows her in a car running the app, with the caption: “50/50 Michelin star or Maccas speedrun (thx rainbet link in bio).”
One user supplied screenshots to Guardian Australia of 10 separate reports of posts from Dinah pushing the crypto gambling app in January. In most cases, Meta responded that it would take no action, stating the content did not violate its community standards on fraud or scam. Meta’s reporting options lacked a specific category for promoting gambling.
In a couple of instances, Meta said it would prevent teens from seeing the video. When Guardian Australia reported one post, it was quickly restricted from view by teens but allowed to remain online. A Meta spokesperson declined to comment, and the posts and account remain online as of Tuesday.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) last year warned social media influencers: “Stop promoting illegal gambling services to Australians. If you don’t, you risk facing significant penalties.” Individuals can face fines up to $59,400, while influencers facilitating access to illegal gambling services could face fines up to $2.4 million. ACMA said Rainbet has implemented measures to prevent Australians from accessing its services.
Since November 2019, ACMA has blocked 1,455 illegal gambling and affiliate websites, and 220 illegal services have pulled out of Australia. However, the regulator acknowledged some Australians may still access blocked sites using virtual private networks.
