Meta is facing criticism again for allowing illegal gambling operators to advertise on its platform, this time in the Netherlands.
Vergunde Nederlandse Online Kansspelaanbieders (VNLOK) is the Dutch gambling trade body. It has warned that illegal providers continue to reach players in the country. According to VNLOK, these operators do so on a large scale through social media platforms.
VNLOK analysed Meta’s ad library between October and December 2025. The review showed that more than 95% of the gambling promotions found came from black market operators. This included both Facebook pages and paid advertisements. As a result, the organisation called for faster and stronger action. It noted that Meta removed only a small portion of the ads.
Following recent comments by UK Gambling Commission Executive Director Tim Miller, criticism of Meta has intensified. Miller spoke to industry stakeholders at ICE. He said he has seen a rise in illegal online casino adverts on Meta’s platforms. According to him, these ads use “not on GamStop” messaging. They specifically target customers who have self-excluded through GamStop.
VNLOK chair Björn Fuchs said the regulated Dutch gambling market is designed to protect consumers. It does so through strict duty-of-care rules, affordability safeguards, and advertising regulations. Illegal providers fall outside this system. Despite this, they still reach Dutch target groups on a large scale through social media advertising.
The share of illegal ads removed by Meta remains limited: 3% in October, 5.2% in November, and 4.7% in December. These figures are alarming.
VNLOK data highlighted activity on Facebook pages and gambling ads targeting the Dutch market. The data covered the period between October and December 2025.
In October 2025, 588 Facebook pages, 96.4% illegal. And 61,717 adverts, 96.9% illegal.
In November 2025, 1,158 Facebook pages, 97.5% illegal. And 84, 493 adverts, 97.2% illegal.
In December 2025, 1,003 Facebook pages, 97.8% illegal. And 67,732 adverts, 95.9% illegal.
