Illegal gambling providers continue to reach Dutch consumers on a large scale via Meta platforms. An analysis by VNLOK’s Ads Library for October, November and December 2025 shows that in each month, more than 95% of the gambling promotions found—both Facebook pages and advertisements—come from illegal providers. At the same time, only a small portion is removed by Meta, which calls for faster and more robust measures.
Illegal gambling advertisements are widely visible
Recent analyses show that illegal gambling advertising via meta-platforms remains widely visible to Dutch consumers. Of the Facebook pages and gambling ads promoting gambling, over 95% originated from illegal gambling providers in all three months.
Fast rotation with a wide reach
It’s striking that ads from illegal providers are rolled out and replaced at breakneck speed: on average, they were visible for one and a half days in October (79% for less than a day), two days in November (69% for less than a day), and two days in December, with 87% of illegal ads being visible for less than a day. Illegal gambling ads also have a wide reach, peaking at 50 million impressions in November.
Enforcement is lagging behind
The regulated Dutch gambling market is designed to protect consumers through strict duty of care, affordability guarantees and advertising regulations. Illegal providers fall outside this system, yet still manage to reach Dutch target groups on a large scale through social advertising. The share of illegal ads removed by Meta remains limited: 3% in October, 5.2% in November and 4.7% in December.
“These figures are alarming. The enormous flood of illegal gambling advertisements on Meta platforms undermines player protection and also erodes trust in the legal market. This problem is unfortunately growing. The promotion of illegal gambling websites on social media is expanding from social advertising to social content. Meta and other platforms are being flooded with viral videos featuring the brands of illegal gambling websites. This content is attracting targeted minors and young adults to illegal gambling offerings, where the risk of gambling harm is very high,” Björn Fuchs, Chairman of VNLOK.
Call from VNLOK
The findings show that the current approach by platforms and regulators is insufficiently aligned with the scale and speed of illegal gambling advertising on social media. To better protect consumers and safeguard the regulated system, additional and targeted actions are necessary:
Meta must strengthen proactive detection, advertiser verification, and rapid takedown processes for illegal gambling promotions targeting the Netherlands.
The Netherlands Gambling Authority must take even more enforcement action, within existing legal frameworks, against marketing companies and platforms that facilitate advertisements and/or content that direct Dutch consumers to illegal gambling websites.
The visibility and attractiveness of legal online gambling are crucial to prevent even more Dutch players from turning to illegal providers. Policymakers and regulators must ensure that additional rules and restrictions for legal providers do not compromise the visibility and attractiveness of legal online gambling. This will lead to a decrease in the net protection of Dutch consumers. A sufficiently visible and attractive legal offering is crucial to prevent even more Dutch players from turning to illegal providers.
