Facebook Under Pressure from Malaysia Over Illegal Gambling Ads

Malaysia is demanding that Meta and Facebook take down all illegal gambling advertisements and fraudulent content from their social network, as the country’s communications minister, Fahmi Fadzil, stated that they might be forced to take legal action against them if they fail to cooperate. This is because the problem has been reported to be growing to a magnitude that cannot be ignored any longer.

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Last Warning To The Platform

Fadzil said during the Inter-Agency Retreat on Combating Online Scam that the government is giving Facebook a final warning to cooperate with regulators before legal proceedings begin. He said any such case would be handled by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.

The minister’s comments come as authorities step up efforts to deal with online fraud and gambling-related content that continues to circulate on major digital platforms. Malaysia’s position is that platform cooperation is now essential if the volume of prohibited content is to be reduced.

Volume Of Takedown Requests

From 1 January 2026 until 23 May 2026, Malaysia has reported 271,472 takedown requests to Facebook. The numbers reported by the authorities show that more than 91% of the requests are connected to the presence of scams and illegal gambling organizations.

Authorities also said 81% of all illegal gambling-related content was found on Facebook. The scale of the numbers has placed the platform at the center of Malaysia’s latest push against online gambling and scam-related material.

Losses From Scam Activity

Also, Fadzil added that local customers lost over $640 million in scams in 2025, with such scams as fraudulent sales, investment scams, and gambling scams being among the common scams suffered by these victims. The loss amounts add to the need for urgent action by the authorities against online crime.

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The minister’s comments come amid concerns regarding the level of illegal materials available to users, as well as their economic costs. The government regards scams and gambling advertisements as one issue for its enforcement agencies.

New Coordination Plan

In light of the increasing amounts of such prohibited content, Malaysia is seeking to form a committee to coordinate the fight against scammers and gambling ads. Fadzil added that this proposed body would soon be presented to the Malaysian cabinet.

The committee would involve regulatory bodies, banks, law enforcement agencies, and telecommunications companies. This is aimed at ensuring that the distribution of illegal materials is halted before it goes too far through online networks.

Through these measures, the Malaysian government hopes to exert greater pressure on platforms that allow for gambling and scams among others forms of illegal activities.

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Source: AffPapa