Have you ever wondered why gambling ads suddenly flood your Facebook feed after a quick visit to a betting site?

It turns out gambling companies are secretly tracking visitors and sending their data to Meta—without permission.

Investigation Uncovers Dozens of Such Sites

An Observer investigation uncovered dozens of UK gambling websites using the Meta Pixel.

It’s a hidden tracking tool, to scoop up user data—including pages viewed and buttons clicked—before visitors agree to data sharing.

That information is then used to profile users as gamblers, unleashing a barrage of targeted ads.

According to Wolfie Christl, a data privacy expert, this practice blatantly violates the law.

“Meta is complicit and must be held accountable,” he said.

Of the 150 gambling sites tested, 52 automatically shared data, including big names like Hollywoodbets, Sporting Index, and Bwin.

In some cases, Facebook started targeting users with gambling ads almost immediately, even from companies that hadn’t directly shared their data.