The Dutch online gambling trade body VNLOK has said virtually all the online gambling ads in Meta’s Ads Library in Q4 last year came from unlicensed operators.
As part of an audit of the platform, VNLOK found that in October, November and December 2025 more than 95% of the gambling promotions on Meta platforms in the Netherlands each month were from illegal firms.
The trade body urged the Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp-owner to implement “rapid takedown processes” for illegal ads.
VNLOK said the ads from unlicensed firms remained on Meta platforms for brief periods of time, with 87% of ads visible for less than a day.
The trade body noted that in November the ads for illegal sites peaked at 50 million impressions across the Netherlands.
VNLOK said only 3% of the offending ads were removed in October, with 5.2% in November and 4.7% in December.
It also warned the promotion of unlicensed operators was shifting from ads to social content, with brands being placed across viral videos on various platforms.
Alongside calling on Meta to “strengthen proactive detection [and] advertiser verification”, VNLOK said the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) needed to take “even more enforcement action”.
The trade body’s research comes after KSA data showed more than half of Dutch GGR was now going to the black market.
The Netherlands regulated in October 2021, with high levels of channelisation having proved difficult to achieve.
VNLOK’s research into Meta also comes days after Gambling Commission executive director Tim Miller called out the social media giant for allowing unlicensed casinos to advertise to UK consumers.
During a speech at ICE, Miller said Meta’s inaction “could leave you with the impression they are quite happy to turn a blind eye and continue taking money from criminals and scammers until someone shouts about it”.
Björn Fuchs, VNLOK chair, added: “These figures are alarming. The enormous flood of illegal gambling advertisements on Meta platforms undermines player protection and erodes trust in the legal market. This problem is unfortunately growing.
“The promotion of illegal gambling websites on social media is expanding from social advertising to social content.
“Meta and other platforms are being flooded with viral videos featuring the brands of illegal gambling websites.
“This content is attracting targeted minors and young adults to illegal gambling offerings, where the risk of gambling harm is very high.”
EGR has contacted Meta for comment.
The post Dutch trade body slams Meta for “alarming” proliferation of unlicensed operator ads first appeared on EGR Intel.
VNLOK study suggests more than 95% of gambling ads in Ads Library were linked to illegal firms, as it calls on regulator and tech giant to step up in fight
The post Dutch trade body slams Meta for “alarming” proliferation of unlicensed operator ads first appeared on EGR Intel.