An Australian social media influencer with a substantial following of over 800,000 on Instagram has been actively promoting illegal offshore crypto-gambling services, despite explicit warnings from the national regulator about potential multi-million dollar penalties. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has repeatedly failed to take action against nearly a dozen reported posts, allowing the content to remain accessible to a vast audience, including vulnerable users.
Influencer's Promotion of Rainbet Crypto Casino
The online streamer known as Dinah, who describes herself as "ur Chinese gf in Australia" on her profile, has used her platform with 820,000 followers to endorse Rainbet, an online crypto casino. In posts that have garnered thousands of likes, she has shared videos showcasing the gambling app, with captions encouraging risky financial behaviour. For instance, one video from last year, which received over 16,000 likes, featured the caption: "WHY PAY RENT WHEN U CAN JUST DOUBLE IT???? (ty rainbet! link in bio - helps me out a lot)". Another showed her in a car using the app, captioned: "50/50 Michelin star or Maccas speedrun (thx rainbet link in bio)".
Meta's Inaction on Multiple Reports
Despite clear evidence of these promotions, Meta has consistently declined to remove or restrict the content. A user, who chose to remain anonymous, provided screenshots to Guardian Australia documenting reports of 10 separate posts in January that pushed the crypto gambling app. In most cases, Meta responded that the content did not violate its community standards on fraud or scam, and its reporting system lacked a specific category for gambling promotion. Only in a couple of instances did Meta agree to prevent teenagers from viewing the videos, but the posts themselves were allowed to stay online. As of Tuesday morning, the links to Rainbet had been removed from Dinah's profile, but the account and posts remain active.
Acma's Stern Warnings and Penalties
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) has issued strong warnings to social media influencers, urging them to cease promoting illegal gambling services to Australians or face severe consequences. The regulator emphasised that such promotions are illegal and carry substantial penalties. Individuals can be fined up to $59,400, while influencers who facilitate access to these services, such as by providing links, could face fines as high as $2.4 million. Acma noted that Rainbet has implemented measures to block Australian access, but some users may still bypass these blocks using virtual private networks.
Broader Context of Illegal Gambling Crackdown
Since Acma began blocking illegal gambling sites in November 2019, it has successfully blocked 1,455 illegal gambling and affiliate websites, with 220 illegal services withdrawing from the Australian market. However, this case highlights ongoing challenges in regulating digital platforms, where global companies like Meta may not align with local laws. The incident has sparked frustration among policymakers, with calls for faster reforms to address gambling ads on social media. Meta declined to comment on the matter, and attempts to contact Dinah through her management agency were unsuccessful.
This situation underscores the tension between rapid digital advertising practices and regulatory enforcement, raising questions about the effectiveness of current measures to protect consumers from harmful online content.
