Illegal promotion
Influencer Dinah and social media giant Meta have come under the media’s glare after reports that Dinah could be fined $2.4m ($1.68m) for promoting an illegal betting site to Australians via a Meta-owned platform.
streamer advertised crypto casino Rainbet to 820,000 Instagram followers
The Guardian reported on Wednesday that the online streamer advertised crypto casino Rainbet to 820,000 Instagram followers, despite the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) warning “significant penalties” were at stake.
Meta, meanwhile, is accused of failure to act on almost 12 reports against Dinah for promoting the Rainbet site.
Big claims
Dinah bills herself on Instagram as “ur Chinese gf in Australia” and according to The Guardian, posted illegal content, including a video captioned, “WHY PAY RENT WHEN U CAN JUST DOUBLE IT???? (ty rainbet! link in bio – helps me out a lot).”
The influencer’s appearance in the video included her being handed a phone displaying the Rainbet app.
A whistleblower supplied screenshots of ten separate posts to Guardian Australia in which Dinah advertises Rainbet to her followers. As of Tuesday, the publication stated that links to Rainbet on Dinah’s Instagram profile were gone.
The UK global daily, however, took Meta to task, saying that it “responded that it would take no action to limit or remove” Dinah’s posts.
“Our team reviewed the content. They found that it does not go against our community standards on fraud or scam,” the Meta response read.
As for the other posts in January submitted by the whistleblower, The Guardian stated that Meta declined comment and that “the posts and account remain online as of Tuesday.”
Influencers warned
The ACMA said that Rainbet has measures in place to prevent Australians from using its platform, but warned social media influencers to “Stop promoting illegal gambling services to Australians.”
The regulatory body stated that while individual fines max out at AUD$59,400 (US$41,700), influencers directing access to illegal online gambling services could face fines of up to AUD$2.4m (US$1.68m).
Since the ACMA began taking action against illicit gambling platforms, 220 illegal services have exited Australia, though the regulator is aware that some bettors use VPNs to bypass restrictions.
