In an apparent attempt to get around X’s rules prohibiting gambling ads, online gambling site Stake appears to be using influencers, massively popular engagement farming accounts, and stolen content to promote its site.
On some posts, it’s just the Stake logo over a video or images, and others include versions of “This Is An #Ad" or "Gamble Responsibly #Ad." Influencers are required to disclose advertising, per federal law.
The guidelines for advertising gambling content on X state that the platform “prohibits the promotion of gambling content, except for campaigns targeting specified countries where it is allowed with restrictions as explained below.” It then provides a long list of guidelines that vary from country to country; targeting users in the United States, for example, requires the gambling advertiser to be “domiciled in the US.” Stake was founded in Australia and is owned and operated by Medium Rare N.V. in Curaçao, according to Stake.com. The site for Stake.us, the U.S. version of the site, says it is owned by Sweepsteaks Limited and provides an address in Cyprus.