VNLOK: 98.8% of Dutch Facebook Gambling Ads Are Illegal

The Dutch association of licensed iGaming operators VNLOK published an analysis of online gambling advertisements on Facebook covering May and June 2026. Analysts identified Facebook pages running casino-related ads through Meta's Ads Library, then pulled all ads from those pages for the month and evaluated them by reach, audience, ad type, display duration, and licensing status.

The share of ads directing users to unlicensed operators reached 96% in May and rose to 98.8% in June. Among the highest-reach ads specifically, 96.5% were illegal in May and 93.7% in June. The number of Facebook pages running online gambling ads jumped from 697 in May to 3,237 in June. Meta removed only 11% of illegal ads in May and 15% in June, with average display duration rising slightly from 1.58 days in May to 2 days in June. In both months, most ads had short lifespans: 76% ran for less than a day in May, and 65% in June.

As of the analysis's August 27 publication, VNLOK had begun filing a lawsuit against Meta and submitted a complaint to the European Commission. The association is demanding that Meta verify an advertiser's license before publishing an ad, rather than removing it only after a violation occurs, and is calling on Dutch regulator KSA to impose stricter measures against advertising platforms, marketing companies, and affiliates that direct users toward unlicensed operators.