The Dutch online gambling association VNLOK has announced it is taking legal action against Meta, citing the tech company's sustained failure to remove illegal gambling advertisements from Facebook and Instagram in the Netherlands.
VNLOK says Meta has only managed to take down 5% of unlicensed gambling ads flagged across its platforms, a figure the trade body describes as structurally inadequate. Despite thousands of reports filed monthly by the Dutch gambling regulator, the Kansspelautoriteit, black-market operators have continued to return with new ads, cycling through them faster than they can be removed.
VNLOK accused Meta of taking action only after harm had already been done, likening the company's approach to mopping the floor while the tap is still running. The association added that Meta had refused to engage in any substantive dialogue about the failures, leaving legal proceedings as the only viable path forward.
The association says the flood of illegal ads is causing direct harm to Dutch consumers, particularly younger players and those at risk of problem gambling. Unlike licensed operators, illegal providers are not bound by responsible gambling requirements and actively target vulnerable groups.
VNLOK president Björn Fuchs framed the issue as both an economic and consumer protection concern. Illegal gambling operators undermine the regulated market while exposing players to harm without the safeguards the licensed sector is required to provide, he said.
The legal action comes against a broader backdrop of pressure on the Dutch iGaming market. The country has seen rising black market activity, declining channelisation rates, and an uptick in gambling-related harm among younger demographics. Earlier this year, VNLOK called on the government to review a tax increase it says has weakened the competitive position of licensed operators. The Netherlands is not alone in facing this kind of regulatory strain. As covered in Finland's iGaming gold rush, unlicensed operators are moving aggressively into regulated European markets before enforcement frameworks are fully in place.
The question of who is responsible for policing illegal gambling content online is also central to the AI and responsible gambling debate, where regulators are increasingly demanding that platforms demonstrate proactive protection rather than reactive cleanup.
Alongside the court filing, VNLOK said it has engaged the European Commission on the matter, signalling the association is pursuing the issue at both national and EU levels.
The case puts Meta at the center of a growing regulatory push across Europe to hold social media platforms accountable for the third-party content they host and the targeting tools they enable.
