VNLOK chair says Meta is enabling a 'digital Wild West' of illegal gambling ads in the Netherlands

Dutch trade body VNLOK has taken the unusual step of summoning Meta to court over illegal gambling advertising, the first time a gambling trade body has explored legal action against a big tech company. Chairman Björn Fuchs told the SBC Summit in Lisbon that it is time for Meta to uphold its responsibility, and later repeated the message to SBC News.

Fuchs said licensed operators are bound by law, while Meta is facilitating a digital Wild West in which illegal websites attract vulnerable Dutch audiences without any duty of care. He argued that gamblers on unlicensed sites carry a substantially higher risk profile, so Dutch society and consumers ultimately bear the cost. In his view Meta should be able to do much better at filtering illegal gambling ads.

The complaint comes as the Netherlands struggles with channelisation, the share of play captured by the licensed market. The rate was 66% in 2023, 57% in 2024 and 49% in 2025, well below the 90% that European markets typically aim for. Strict marketing rules, a 37.8% tax on gross gaming revenue and demanding duty of care obligations are likely contributors, and Fuchs has previously warned that over-regulation could backfire.

Fuchs also questioned whether the public understands the difference between licensed and unlicensed platforms. He welcomed the KSA's expanded information campaigns but asked whether people care, noting that targeted ads with high bonuses and the promise of a frictionless experience are persuasive. He cited research by the KVA, the Responsible Affiliates Quality Mark, which found that searches for terms such as casino without limits or casino without KYC exceed one million per month in the Netherlands.

Other bodies have voiced similar frustrations. The UK's Betting and Gaming Council sent an open letter to social media platforms in June, while the European Gaming and Betting Association has urged stricter enforcement of the Digital Services Act across EU member states.

Some early cooperation is emerging. Nordic operator Paf said at the summit that it has agreed a pilot with Meta, sharing licence documents and URLs to help identify black market operators. Thailand's Ministry of Digital Economy has also committed to working with platforms including Meta and TikTok on a clampdown. Fuchs sees a simple principle at work: if an operator is not on the Dutch list of licensed providers, it should not be able to target Dutch audiences. He added that VNLOK is in touch with other European trade bodies.