On Monday, VNLOK, the Dutch gambling trade association, took legal action against Meta by officially summoning the tech giant to court. The lawsuit arose from allegations that Meta had enabled a significant number of illegal gambling advertisements to target consumers in the Netherlands.
Based in The Hague, VNLOK represents licensed online gambling operators in the country. The decision to file the lawsuit follows months of warnings directed at Meta, during which the association claims to have identified that over 90% of gambling ads on Facebook were sourced from unlicensed operators in the Netherlands.
VNLOK expressed dissatisfaction with Meta’s response to flagged illegal advertisements, revealing that only 11% were removed in May and 15% in June. The association had already initiated legal proceedings against Meta in June 2023, asserting that the social media platform had failed to prevent illegal gambling-related content from being displayed to Dutch users on both Facebook and Instagram. Additionally, VNLOK lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission.
“Despite our repeated efforts to highlight the severity of this issue and encourage Meta to work with us in addressing it, the results have fallen short. This is why we are taking the matter to the Dutch courts,” said VNLOK chairman Fuchs.
In its recent statement, VNLOK clarified that this court summons represents “the final step” in its ongoing legal fight. The association seeks a court ruling on Meta's non-compliance with the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), which mandates major online platforms to proactively handle illegal content. Part of the DSA requires tech companies to implement protective measures against illegal gambling advertisements targeting users in the Netherlands.
VNLOK reported that in the last quarter of 2025 alone, platforms owned by Meta displayed over 70,000 gambling ads, attributing more than 95% of these to unlicensed operators. Alarmingly, VNLOK noted that less than 5% of these ads had been removed by Meta.
Further complicating the issue, the Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), confirmed in its 2025 report that it had submitted thousands of complaints regarding illegal gambling ads to Meta each month.
In tandem with VNLOK's lawsuit, the Dutch Parliament is debating a motion to empower the KSA with explicit authority to impose fines on digital platforms that ignore repeated notifications about illegal gambling ads. This motion, which is scheduled for a vote in the House of Representatives, was introduced by MP Bart Bikkers and other VVD party members. The proposed legislation aims to create a solid legal foundation for enforcing penalties or orders against platforms that fail to act on unlawful advertisements after being warned multiple times.
While VNLOK supports this parliamentary initiative, it has urged the KSA to take prompt action without waiting for legislative reforms. “The regulator must robustly hold accountable those contributing to the advertising of illegal offerings to Dutch consumers. Immediate action does not require new legislation; the KSA currently possesses the necessary legal powers,” Fuchs emphasized in the update on Monday.
Fuchs also noted that while Meta is currently the focus of this lawsuit, the issue extends beyond just one platform. He added, “If one illegal provider is removed from a platform, they often resurface on another. This creates a continuous cycle where we are always a step behind. All entities in this supply chain must be held accountable.”
Earlier this month, during a committee debate in the House of Representatives regarding gambling, the need for open dialogue with Meta and other major tech platforms was underscored as crucial for curbing the escalating black market. Lawmakers recognized the increasing prevalence of illegal gambling site advertisements flooding social media, a problem the Dutch gambling sector has directly addressed through legal measures against Meta.
Minister Claudia Van Bruggen stated that Meta has shown a willingness to engage in discussions with the government to collaboratively address the black market issue. “Meta, particularly, along with Google, is genuinely open to this dialogue,” she remarked.
The government is set to receive semi-annual reports on illegal gambling advertising on these platforms and maintains that addressing the issue at the EU level, as mandated by the Digital Services Act, is paramount.
