Dutch gambling trade body VNLOK has summoned Meta to an Amsterdam court, escalating its challenge over alleged illegal gambling advertisements reaching consumers in the Netherlands. The action follows a complaint to the European Commission in June concerning ads on Facebook and Instagram; VNLOK said more than 90% of the Facebook gambling ads it analysed were related to illegal operators. The case is an initiated legal challenge, not a reported fine or finding of liability.
The dispute reflects a wider enforcement challenge as illegal gambling promotion appears across social-media platforms, including in illegal gambling advertising on social media.
VNLOK cites low removal rates
VNLOK based its European Commission complaint on surveys of gambling marketing content on Meta’s platforms. It said only 11% of the illegal content targeting Dutch consumers was removed in May, followed by 15% in June.
The association’s allegations concern advertising by illegal operators to Dutch consumers through Facebook and Instagram. VNLOK says Meta has not done enough to protect the Dutch market, but the figures reflect the trade body’s findings and do not amount to an adjudicated assessment by a court or regulator.
Social platforms can provide routes for gambling promotions to reach consumers, including through illegal lottery advertising on social media. VNLOK’s case focuses on Meta, while its wider concern is how digital platforms are used to promote unlicensed offers.
Parliamentary motion puts KSA powers in focus
The court action follows repeated warnings to Meta and the June complaint to the European Commission. The primary report does not identify a judgment, injunction, settlement or financial penalty against Meta; the legal challenge is now before an Amsterdam court.
Separately, a motion by MP Bart Bikkers was scheduled for a vote in the House of Representatives on Tuesday 29 September. It called for expanded powers for the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) to issue financial penalties or enforcement orders to parties disseminating illegal gambling advertising, including platforms such as Meta and Google. The available report does not establish whether the motion passed.
The motion forms part of a broader debate over platform responsibility and illegal gambling advertising in the Netherlands. The primary report also notes that reform proponents and opposition leaders have called for a complete ban on gambling advertisements, extending the debate beyond the handling of illegal promotions.
Platform accountability extends beyond Meta
VNLOK chairman Björn Fuchs said the association had repeatedly raised the scale of the problem with Meta and sought structural cooperation, but considered the results insufficient. He also pointed to the role of political decision-makers, the regulator and platforms in addressing illegal offers, and said the KSA had already made reports to platforms.
The dispute puts the responsibility of intermediaries used to reach Dutch consumers under scrutiny. If adopted, the motion could give the KSA a clearer route to penalise or issue enforcement orders to parties that disseminate illegal gambling advertising; it does not establish that Meta or another platform has already incurred liability or changed its systems.
The proceedings also sit alongside scrutiny of promotion in the licensed market, where proposals for a wider advertising ban are part of the political discussion. The case therefore raises a question for the Dutch market about how enforcement against illegal advertising and policy on licensed operators’ marketing will develop, without yet resolving either issue.
This report is based on SBC News coverage published on 29 September 2026.
Renata Kovacs has spent the better part of a decade following the regulatory shifts and licensing battles that define how gambling markets open, close, and evolve across Europe and beyond. She came up through the legal and compliance side of the industry before shifting her focus to journalism and analysis, giving her a perspective that sits closer to the operator room than the press box. Her coverage tends to cut through the noise and get straight to what a regulatory change actually means for the businesses and players involved.