Facebook considering support of online gambling in the UK

Submitted by Jenni on Mon, 2011-12-05 at 12:02

According to certain rumours, Facebook is considering opening its social network as a platform for online gambling in the UK. Supposedly a Facebook gaming platform would be based on the exchange of real money, not Facebook credits.

Facebook Credits are already offered by the Social Networking site as a currency alternative, used in Facebook apps and games. Facebook is now purportedly considering the prospect of using real money in the online gambling marketplace.

Possibly as soon as Q1, 2012, we could see the company open its doors to online gambling.
This past summer, Palo Alto held exploratory talks with approximately 20 online gaming experts, consultants and social gaming entrepreneurs, and now the idea is progressively picking up the pace.

Details so far appear as though Facebook is looking at awarding eight (8) licenses, two per vertical to online gambling operators in markets that are already regulated, such as the UK. Sources for egrmagazine.com have reported.
The Social Networking giant has drawn up preliminary licenses for different gambling operators: Gamesys, which has some 1.7 million monthly Facebook users & 888 are reportedly first in line. You read that right: gambling apps could soon start appearing on Facebook sooner than you think.

Since many states in the US prohibit online gambling the talks appear to be limited to the UK for now. While Facebook will likely never support the US (unless regulation changes), if the UK deal goes through, it will likely be run as a trial for other countries. If all goes well, it could open up an entirely new market and platform for operators with outreach wider than ever before.

In the past Facebook has been extremely strict when it comes to advertising online gambling businesses on its website, Facebook has since relaxed those laws. Their Advertising Guidelines webpage has a specific online gambling clause under the Gambling and Lotteries subsection of the Ad Content section:

“Ads that promote or facilitate online gambling, games of skill or lotteries, including online casino, sports books, bingo, or poker, are only allowed in specific countries with prior authorization from Facebook.”

So there you have it, Facebook could be bringing some of your favourite games and apps to their site within the coming few months, watch this space, the future is now.