Australian influencers have been regularly advertising illegal offshore gambling sites by disguising casino promotions as organic content, AdNews can reveal.
The format typically follows a pattern to sidestep platform disclosure rules, with an influencer filming themselves in regular entertainment-style content before cutting briefly to footage of themselves using a casino app.
Influencer clips seen by AdNews show the practice often resembles the style of product placement advertisements, making the promotions harder for platforms and regulators to detect.
One of the most prolific sites appearing in this content is Rainbet, an offshore crypto casino registered in Curaçao, that is illegal to access from within Australia.
Rainbet is known to enlist influencers with predominantly young male audiences, allegedly paying upwards of $50,000 for three Instagram stories endorsing the brand.
Influencers were reportedly paid in crypto for each post featuring the casino's branding, and were given an extra bonus when followers used the referral links embedded in influencer bio’s.
An Australian born influencer known as Chrogman on Instagram was known to frequently advertise Rainbet across Meta to his 1.4 million followers.
At the time of this investigation, Chrogman posted a video, where he urged his followers to fight him, as is customary with his content, while promoting the site dressed in a colourful outfit.
The post has since been removed domestically, with a message reading that Meta "complied with a legal request to restrict this content," when users click on the content link.
Chrogman and Rainbet declined to comment when approached by Adnews.
AdNews understands ACMA was aware of the influencers connection to Rainbet before the post was removed.
Ad Standards found in June 2025 that an Instagram content posted by an influencer promoting Rainbet breached Section 2.7 of the AANA Wagering Code.
The content, described in the case report, featured a man saying: "Day 1 of gambling so I can pay the rent. Day 1 competitor, Rainbet. Let's run it baby" before reacting to a blackjack game captioned "Gambling Rent: Day 1. #gambling #followers #series."
ACMA has since escalated its response, issuing its first enforcement action against an influencer this month for breaching online gambling laws.
An ACMA spokesperson told AdNews these advertisements were posing significant risks to Australian consumers.
"Illegal offshore gambling services can pose significant risks to Australians," said the spokesperson.
"Many operate from overseas and outside Australian jurisdiction, which means some enforcement options available against Australian-based businesses — such as formal warnings, infringement notices or court action — may not be available against offshore entities.
"The most effective tool that we use is to request internet service providers to block illegal gambling websites.
“Since the ACMA made its first blocking request in November 2019, more than 1,560 illegal gambling and affiliate websites have been blocked.
"The ACMA also works with social media platforms and hosting providers to seek removal of illegal gambling content and advertisements, and engages directly with social media influencers, including through compliance alerts, to warn them of the risks and possible consequences of promoting illegal gambling sites."
The platforms themselves have taken varying stances.
TikTok told AdNews its platform did not permit user-generated content of this kind.
“We only allow ads and no UGC (user generated content). All ads are targeted at 18 plus. There is a frequency cap which limits the number of ads that you will see,” said a TikTok spokesperson.
“We have an opt out function for people who don't wish to see these ads, and we comply with AANA and ACMA requirements.”
Meta declined to comment.
Responsibility for enforcement is spread across multiple regulators.
A spokesperson at competition watchdog the ACCC told AdNews influencers were responsible for the content they advertised.
"Influencers, advertisers and businesses should ensure any promotions directed at Australian consumers comply with Australian law, including ensuring any claims made in advertising are accurate, not misleading, and do not create a false impression about the legality, safety or benefits of a service," the spokesperson said.
The ACCC said it was also acting to protect Australians from gambling scams through the National Anti-Scam Centre.
"This includes gambling scams — known as 'scambling' — which is an emerging scam type in Australia where scammers create fake online gambling or casino platforms to deceive people into depositing money, sharing personal information and recruiting others. These scams disproportionately target First Nations Australians," the spokesperson said.
Greg Wallace, executive director of Ad Standards, told AdNews the community appetite for action was clear.
"Our Community Sentiment Tracking Research consistently shows that gambling advertising is Australians' leading advertising concern," said Wallace.
"Where products and services can be legally advertised to Australians, Ad Standards' role is to ensure that the ad's content is responsible and complies with the advertising industry codes, including the AANA Wagering Code."
For influencers, the legal exposure is significant.
Isabella Orlic, senior associate at BlackBay Lawyers, said creators with a large online presence had significant influence over increasingly younger audiences.
"Following the recent crackdown on paid influencer promotions and gambling advertising, influencers should be extremely careful to ensure they are not promoting illegal platforms or breaching Australian advertising standards," said Orlic.
"The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 prohibits the dissemination of designated interactive gambling services to customers in Australia.
“If a person intentionally advertises a prohibited interactive gambling service and the service has an Australian-customer link, they may face civil penalties up to $2,730,000."
Orlic said the act did provide some protection for influencers who could demonstrate they did not know, and could not with reasonable diligence have ascertained that the service had an Australian-customer link, but warned the bar for this defence was high.
"As a professional creator, there is an expectation that you carry out the necessary due diligence regarding gambling services and their ability to operate in Australia," she said.
"Influencers and creators should, at a minimum, perform a legal review of any contract or brand partnership, ensure that any contract addresses approved statements and representations in accordance with Australian advertising and marketing codes, and maintain records of due diligence and compliance checks."
Orlic advised creators should independently verify that any platform was licensed to legally operate in Australia before accepting paid advertising deals, particularly where content included links, promo codes or referral codes giving Australian audiences access to illegal platforms.
It’s unclear if the increased regulatory crackdown on influencers comes in relation to the broader government reforms targeting the industry.
Government reforms taking effect January 1 next year will ban online gambling advertising unless users verify they are over 18 and opt in, and will block further illegal offshore gambling sites including online casinos, sportsbooks and wagering platforms operating without an Australian licence.
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