On Monday, the Dutch casino affiliate group Keurmerk Verantwoorde Affiliates (KVA) raised alarms regarding Google search's capability to lead Dutch consumers to illegal online gambling sites through its autocomplete feature.
In a LinkedIn post, KVA underscored potential hazards associated with Google’s organic search functions, which extend beyond paid advertisements and include features like autocomplete and suggested queries.
The KVA conducted an analysis using data obtained from Chrome’s incognito mode, excluding personalized search histories, to identify several autocomplete and pre-fill queries that recommended illegal gambling platforms to users. Among these queries were terms such as "online casino zonder Cruks" (online casino without CRUKS, the Dutch self-exclusion registry for problem gamblers) and "beste online casino buitenland" (best online casino abroad).
The group expressed alarm over the possibility that unauthorized operators and websites were manipulating Google’s autocomplete function primarily to redirect Dutch users towards illegal gambling offerings. While KVA acknowledged Google's cooperation in eliminating paid ads linked to illegal casinos, it emphasized that the company must adopt more comprehensive tactics to address organic search results.
Concerns about illegal gambling have also emerged from Dutch lawmakers. In December 2025, CDA MP Straatman questioned the state secretary on whether websites advertising as "Beste casino's zonder Cruks" should be promptly taken offline. In a written reply issued in January 2026, state secretary Arno Rutte noted that enforcement against these websites was limited, particularly concerning domains not registered under the .nl extension.
KVA reported that KT van Bruggen, the current state secretary for Justice and Security, highlighted the pressing need to implement robust countermeasures to limit access to these illegal platforms.
Last week, a committee of MPs from various political parties in the Netherlands expressed similar concerns, specifically about the roles of Meta and Google in facilitating black market activity. Representatives from the VVD party urged the government to adopt a tougher approach toward these major technology companies.
Van Bruggen informed the gambling committee that both Meta and Google are receptive to ongoing dialogue with the government on these issues. The government is also scheduled to receive a biannual report on illegal gambling advertising on these platforms.
The KVA’s remarks resonate with a wider regulatory trend across Europe, where authorities are increasingly examining how large internet platforms drive traffic to unlicensed gambling services. In Sweden, for instance, Spelinspektionen has identified affiliates and social media as significant channels for black market advertising and highlighted the ways that affiliate networks can redirect traffic to unlicensed operators.
Thus far, regulatory efforts have primarily focused on monitoring paid advertising. In Germany, the GGL attributed a reduction in black market visibility to an updated Google ad policy, though it acknowledged that illegal operators remain able to gain visibility through organic search by manipulating SEO.
This situation reflects a broader shift towards tackling organic search indicators and domain-level tactics like doorway pages, an issue also noted in the UK, where studies have connected black market activities to search-driven promotions and the exploitation of SEO.
