The Dutch Gambling Authority (KSA) is cracking down on illegal online gambling advertisements, filing over 4,600 reports with Meta in April alone. This comes after a report found that Meta was non-compliant with KSA's underage gambling ad regulations. The KSA's enforcement strategy focuses on addressing the promotional activities of offshore or unlicensed gambling operators, who often use the names and logos of prominent Dutch athletes and established brands to falsely bolster their legitimacy. This practice complicates consumers' ability to discern whether an online gambling site holds a necessary Dutch licence and therefore player protection measures. The KSA warns that advertising on social media reaches large numbers of people, emphasizing the importance of intensifying efforts to ensure illegal advertisements are promptly removed. The recent surge in reports to Meta is part of an ongoing, collaborative initiative involving public authorities, platform representatives, and private sector companies. According to the KSA's 2025 report, the regulator worked alongside other partners to report Google advertisements 'en masse' last year, resulting in a decrease in search results from illegal sponsors. The report also estimated that 50,000 illegal gambling advertisements were found via social media each month last year. Underage gambling targeting has also been a prevalent issue for the regulator. The Dutch government implemented a ban on 'untargeted' gambling advertisements in mid-2023, and a study this week found that 11.2% of 277 Meta advertisements targeted age groups including those aged 18 to 23. Online gambling licence holders demonstrated a high compliance rate of 92.7%, while adverts linked to offline licence holders were less compliant, with nearly 30% breaching age restrictions. The Netherlands' coalition government has hinted at a full ban on gambling ads in the market, with a total ad ban potentially driving activity to the black market, according to Gambling trade body VNLOK. The KSA's efforts to combat illegal online gambling are crucial in protecting consumers and ensuring the integrity of the gambling industry in the Netherlands.
