Gambling ad fears push Dutch regulators toward stricter action
The Netherlands’ gambling regulator filed more than 4,600 complaints against Meta in April alone, all of them targeting illegal gambling advertisements found on Facebook and Instagram.
The Dutch Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit, KSA) filed the reports in April 2026 as part of a sweeping crackdown on unlicenced operators promoting their services to Dutch internet users. The regulator has identified illegal online gambling as one of its enforcement priorities, and the scale of the April operation signals a big step in that effort.
Using fake names, impersonation
The KSA has officially stated that unlicenced gambling companies have been found using the names and images of well-known Dutch athletes and established brands without permission, a tactic that makes it considerably harder for ordinary users to determine whether a gambling website holds a valid Dutch licence and the consumer protections that come with it.
The KSA has been working alongside government bodies, social media platforms and private companies as part of a coordinated effort to have such content removed swiftly. A similar operation last year saw large numbers of illegal gambling advertisements reported to Google in bulk, which the regulator says led to a measurable reduction in search results linked to unlicenced operators.
The numbers involved are striking. At its peak, an estimated 50,000 illegal gambling advertisements were appearing across social media platforms every single month. The sheer volume has placed considerable pressure on regulators to find more systematic and collaborative solutions, rather than addressing individual cases in isolation.
Licenced operators under radar
Concerns, however, do not stop at unlicenced operators. A recent study published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions, examining 277 gambling advertisements placed by licenced Dutch operators, found that roughly one in nine, i.e. around 11 per cent were shown to age groups that included people between 18 and 23 years old.
Dutch law forbids gambling advertising from targeting anyone under the age of 24. A rule that has been in place since mid-2023, introduced largely out of concern for how much gambling content young people were being exposed to.
Licenced online operators showed compliance rate of nearly 93 per cent. Advertisers linked to offline licence holders, however, were considerably less compliant, with close to 30 per cent found to be in breach of the age-targeting rules. State-owned Holland Casino was among those identified, though it acknowledged the error and moved quickly to correct it.
Researchers further noted that gambling advertisements were reaching young men at a rate more than seven times higher than young women within the 18–24 age bracket, a demographic long considered particularly vulnerable to gambling-related harm.
A young and vulnerable base
Data compiled by Blask also shows a major picture of who is actually gambling online in the Netherlands. The figures show a strong concentration of players in younger age brackets, with those aged 25 to 34 making up the largest single group at 35 per cent of the player base. Those aged between 18 and 24 account for a further 20 per cent. In total, nearly 80 per cent of online gamblers in the Netherlands fall between the ages of 18 and 44.
The trend among the youngest adults is particularly concerning to health professionals and policymakers. Government surveys have found that among gamblers under the age of 24, approximately nine per cent fall into a moderate-risk category and a further 14 per cent into a high-risk category, meaning nearly one in four young gamblers aged 18 to 24 may be experiencing gambling-related difficulties.
The national self-exclusion register, known as Cruks, shows that almost 20 per cent of all registered problem gamblers are aged between 18 and 24. Studies have also indicated that 81 per cent of problem gamblers began gambling before the age of 24, while 46 per cent started before they turned 18.
Total ban under consideration
Amid growing concerns, the Dutch government has confirmed plans to go further than existing restrictions. The Netherlands’ coalition government has indicated it is actively considering a blanket ban on gambling advertisements.
State Secretary Claudia van Bruggen has acknowledged that the current framework carries limitations. She noted that the Cruks self-exclusion system, while functional within the licenced market, is still not able to bar users from accessing illegal platforms or even stop advertising.
“The government is working in line with the coalition agreement to further tighten gambling advertising rules, particularly to protect vulnerable groups,” van Bruggen said. “At the same time, instruments such as Cruks remain limited to the regulated market. They cannot prevent access to illegal providers or fully eliminate exposure to advertising.”
The Dutch mental health association, De Nederlandse ggz, has also called for a comprehensive ban on online advertising. The organisation argues that early exposure to gambling advertisements contributes directly to habit formation among young people and helps normalise gambling as an everyday activity.
However, not everyone is welcoming the move. VNLOK (Vergunde Nederlandse Online Kansspelaanbieders), the representative body for licenced operators in the Netherlands, has argued that sweeping advertising restrictions would make it harder for players to distinguish between regulated and unregulated platforms.
But, the KSA has stated that enforcement efforts will continue to intensify, targeting both unlicenced advertisers operating across social media platforms and licenced operators found to be in breach of regulatory requirements. Tens of thousands of illegal gambling advertisements continue to circulate each month, while concerns persist over gambling participation among younger adults.
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