Dutch operators sue Meta over illegal gambling ads

• VNLOK, which represents licensed Dutch online gambling operators, has filed a lawsuit against Meta and a complaint with the European Commission.
• Research from Q4 2025 found over 70,000 gambling ads on Meta platforms each month, with more than 95% placed by unlicensed operators.
• The illegal Dutch gambling market is now estimated to rival the regulated sector, generating over €1 billion annually.

The Licensed Dutch Online Gaming Providers (VNLOK) has launched legal proceedings against Meta, accusing the company of failing to prevent a mass of unlicensed gambling advertisements from reaching Dutch consumers on Facebook and Instagram.

Ad flood goes unchecked

VNLOK, which represents licensed online gambling operators in the Netherlands, filed its claim before the Dutch courts and simultaneously lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission, requesting an investigation and possible sanctions. The move follows months of what the association describes as Meta’s refusal to engage substantively with its concerns.

The association’s research found that in Q4 2025, an average of more than 70,000 gambling-related advertisements targeting Dutch users appeared across Meta’s platforms each month. More than 95% originated from unlicensed operators, generating tens of millions of monthly impressions. Meta removed fewer than 5%.

VNLOK argues that Meta’s enforcement approach is structurally inadequate. The company relies primarily on reactive reporting, waiting for users or authorities to flag content after it has already appeared.

The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gambling regulator, confirmed in its 2025 annual report that it submitted thousands of reports of unlicensed gambling advertisements to Meta every month. The KSA told broadcaster NOS that flagged ads typically remain live for around 36 hours before removal. Operators then repost them under slightly altered identities or URLs.

Björn Fuchs, chairman of VNLOK, said:

“This is not only an economic problem, but above all a major risk to consumer protection. Illegal providers do not adhere to rules regarding addiction prevention and actively target vulnerable groups such as minors and problem gamblers.”

An earlier study from May found that even licensed Dutch operators on Meta were breaching age-targeting rules, adding to pressure across the sector.

DSA violation alleged

VNLOK is asking the court to declare that Meta has breached the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and is directly liable for the unlawful content on its platforms. It is also seeking an order compelling Meta to comply, backed by financial penalties for each day of non-compliance.

The trade body points to existing Dutch legal precedent. In October 2025, a separate DSA case brought by digital rights group Bits of Freedom saw the Amsterdam District Court find that Meta’s platforms had breached the act.

The Amsterdam Court of Appeal subsequently set a compliance deadline backed by penalties of up to €100,000 per day from January 2026.

VNLOK’s action goes further by targeting gambling-specific harms. Licensed operators argue that unlicensed competitors bypass addiction-prevention rules, operate without connection to Cruks, the Netherlands’ national self-exclusion register, and in some cases replicate the logos of legitimate licensed brands to mislead consumers into believing they are accessing a regulated platform.

Illegal market rivals legal sector

VNLOK estimates the unlicensed Dutch gambling market now generates in excess of €1 billion ($1.1 billion) annually, roughly matching the regulated sector in size.

Channelisation, the proportion of gambling activity taking place on licensed platforms, fell to just 49% in the first half of 2025, according to the KSA.

VNLOK’s case arrives as scrutiny of Meta’s handling of gambling advertising widens internationally.

The UK Gambling Commission’s executive director of research and policy, Tim Miller, told industry stakeholders earlier this year that Meta had made only limited progress on tackling unauthorised gambling content.

Regulators in Brazil and Malaysia have separately pressed the company to remove unlicensed gambling material from its platforms.

The legal action lands as the Dutch government tightens its domestic regulatory stance. State Secretary for Justice and Security Claudia van Bruggen on 12 June proposed a near-total ban on online gambling advertising and bonuses, covering licensed operators.

VNLOK and others have warned that restricting licensed operators’ advertising, without first resolving the problem of unauthorised content on platforms such as Meta, risks accelerating the drift of players towards unlicensed sites.