Australian Influencers Face Growing Scrutiny Over Hidden Promotions for Illegal Offshore Gambling Sites

A growing number of Australian social media personalities have been promoting illegal offshore gambling platforms by embedding casino content inside ordinary lifestyle and entertainment posts, drawing the attention of regulators as authorities widen their enforcement efforts.

Rather than presenting the material as conventional advertising, the promotions often appear as everyday influencer videos before briefly shifting to footage of a gambling app in use. The format closely resembles subtle product placement, making it harder for automated moderation systems—and even viewers—to distinguish sponsored gambling content from regular posts.

One offshore operator has surfaced repeatedly across these campaigns. Rainbet, a cryptocurrency casino registered in Curaçao, has featured prominently in influencer content despite being prohibited from offering its services to people in Australia.

The platform has developed a reputation for partnering with creators whose audiences are largely young men. Industry sources have alleged that some influencers were offered payments exceeding $50,000 for a package of three Instagram Stories promoting the brand. Compensation was reportedly made in cryptocurrency, with additional commissions available when followers signed up using referral links placed in creators’ profiles.

Among the Australian personalities linked to the platform was Instagram creator Chrogman, whose audience exceeds 1.4 million followers. In one video published during the period examined by AdNews, the influencer encouraged followers to challenge him to a fight—a recurring theme in his content—while simultaneously featuring Rainbet branding.

The post is no longer available to Australian users. Visitors attempting to access it now see a notice indicating Meta restricted the content following a legal request.

Neither Chrogman nor Rainbet provided comment when contacted.

AdNews understands the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) was already aware of the creator’s association with Rainbet before the content became inaccessible in Australia.

Regulators shift from warnings to enforcement

Regulators have been escalating their response. Earlier this year, Ad Standards ruled that a separate Instagram post promoting Rainbet breached Section 2.7 of the Australian Association of National Advertisers’ Wagering Code. The content followed a creator documenting an attempt to gamble in order to pay rent while recording reactions to blackjack games as part of a recurring social media series.

The regulatory pressure has since intensified. This month ACMA issued what it describes as its first enforcement action against an influencer for breaching Australia’s online gambling advertising laws, marking a significant shift from focusing primarily on gambling operators themselves.

The communications regulator says illegal offshore gambling services expose Australians to considerable risk because many operate beyond Australian legal jurisdiction, limiting traditional enforcement options such as court proceedings or infringement notices. Website blocking has therefore become one of its primary enforcement tools. Since launching that program in late 2019, more than 1,560 illegal gambling and affiliate websites have been blocked.

ACMA has also been working with technology companies and web-hosting providers to remove gambling promotions while contacting influencers directly through compliance alerts warning them about the legal consequences of promoting prohibited services.

Social media platforms have responded differently to the issue.

TikTok said its policies prohibit user-generated gambling advertising, allowing only approved paid advertisements targeted at users aged 18 and over. The company also said advertising frequency is limited, users can opt out of seeing gambling advertisements, and its systems comply with Australian regulatory requirements.

Meta declined to comment.

Responsibility for policing the issue extends beyond communications regulators.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said influencers, advertisers and businesses all remain responsible for ensuring promotions aimed at Australian consumers comply with domestic law. That includes avoiding misleading claims or creating false impressions about whether gambling services are legal, safe or otherwise legitimate.

The ACCC also pointed to the work of the National Anti-Scam Centre, which has identified fraudulent online gambling schemes—sometimes referred to as scambling—as an emerging threat. These operations typically lure victims into depositing money through fake casino websites, harvesting personal information and encouraging participants to recruit others. Authorities say First Nations Australians have been disproportionately affected by these scams.

Community concern around gambling advertising remains consistently high, according to Ad Standards. The organisation says public research continues to rank gambling promotions as Australians’ biggest advertising concern, with its role centred on assessing whether legal advertising complies with industry codes governing responsible content.

Legal experts warn influencers themselves could face severe financial consequences if they promote prohibited gambling services.

BlackBay Lawyers senior associate Isabella Orlic said creators wield significant influence over increasingly young audiences and should exercise far greater caution before accepting gambling-related sponsorships.

Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001 prohibits advertising certain interactive gambling services to Australian customers. Individuals found to have intentionally promoted prohibited services linked to Australian consumers can face civil penalties of up to $2.73 million.

While the legislation includes a defence for people who genuinely did not know—and could not reasonably have discovered—that a gambling service targeted Australians, Orlic cautioned that satisfying this legal threshold would be difficult.

She said professional creators are generally expected to conduct proper due diligence before entering commercial partnerships. That should include obtaining legal advice where necessary, reviewing contractual obligations, confirming marketing claims comply with Australian advertising standards, keeping records of compliance checks and independently verifying that gambling operators hold the licences required to legally offer services in Australia.

The heightened focus on influencer marketing comes as broader gambling advertising reforms approach.

From 1 January next year, new federal measures will prohibit most online gambling advertising unless users verify they are at least 18 years old and actively opt in. The reforms will also expand efforts to block unlicensed offshore gambling operators, including online casinos, sportsbooks and wagering platforms that target Australians without local authorisation.

Source: adnews.com.au

Australian Influencers Face Growing Scrutiny Over Hidden Promotions for Illegal Offshore Gambling Sites

Regulators shift from warnings to enforcement

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