Gender gap in gambling ads on Meta platforms exposed

Ireland's gambling ads overwhelmingly target men, new study reveals

A University of Cambridge-led report has found a clear gender gap in gambling advertising on Meta platforms in Ireland, with ads reaching far more male accounts than female accounts before the new Irish gambling ad rules began.

Good to Know

Gambling ads reached 12.7 million male Meta accounts and 5.5 million female accounts in Ireland.
The study reviewed 411 ads from 88 Ireland-licensed gambling operators between March 2024 and February 2025.
The sample came before key parts of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 took effect in March 2025.

Young Men Drove Most Gambling Ad Reach

Gambling ads on Meta platforms in Ireland reached more than twice as many men as women, according to new research led by the University of Cambridge.

The study used Meta ad data published under the European Union Digital Services Act. Researchers from the Academic Forum for the Study of Gambling reviewed 411 ads from 88 licensed gambling operators in Ireland. The sample covered users aged 18 to 65+ across March 2024 to February 2025.

Male accounts made up the larger share by a wide margin. The ads reached 12,690,245 male Meta accounts, compared with 5,458,438 female accounts. Total exposure reached 18,389,653 unique accounts across the period.

Only 91 ads, or 22%, directly targeted men only. None targeted women only. Most ads, 74%, carried an 'All' gender setting, yet delivery still leaned heavily toward men.

Dr Elena Petrovskaya, lead author of the report and a faculty member at the Cambridge Department of Computer Science and Technology, said:

"Not that many adverts directly targeted men to begin with." "But even when adverts were set to reach all genders, they still reached that very vulnerable group of young men." "It shows that if companies just put ads on social media, they are still reaching young men - the group we know from other research is most at risk of gambling harms."

The age split added another layer. Accounts aged 25 to 34 made up the largest group, with 6,246,408 reached, or 33.9%. Accounts aged 35 to 44 followed with 4,701,885 reached, or 25.5%. Together, users aged 25 to 44 accounted for almost 60% of the audience.

A single Betfair ad reached 1,320,179 unique accounts, equal to about 26% of the population of Ireland. The five most viewed ads reached 3,688,413 accounts combined.

Researchers said sports-led creative, especially football content, likely helped push delivery toward male users. They also pointed to Meta ad systems, where algorithmic delivery can shape the final audience even when brands choose broad settings.

Ireland already has high gambling participation. The report cites lifetime gambling engagement of 64.5%, while 3.3% of the population falls into the high-risk gambling category. Men aged 25 to 34 show the highest risky gambling rate at 1.3%, compared with 0.2% for women in the same age group.

"Even in a country like Ireland with a small population, the number of accounts these ads reached was dizzying," said Petrovskaya. "We looked at Ireland as a case study of an environment where a modern gambling regulatory framework had not yet been adopted."

Ireland has since changed the rules. The Gambling Regulation Act 2024 took effect in March 2025 and created the Gambling Regulatory Authority. The law introduced tighter advertising controls, including a ban on gambling ads across broadcast and on-demand audiovisual services from 5.30am to 9.00pm. For social media and video platforms, gambling ads can only target users who follow a licensed gambling operator.

Dr Deidre Leahy from MTU in Cork, a co-author of the report, said:

"This research provides valuable insights that establish a baseline for the reach of gambling advertising on social media in Ireland before the introduction of a regulatory framework." "This baseline will be essential for assessing the impact of reforms under the Gambling Regulation Act."