Dutch Trade Body VNLOK Summons Meta to Court Over Illegal Gambling Ads

^{Meta's headquarters in Menlo Park, California. Dutch trade body VNLOK has summoned the company to an Amsterdam court over illegal gambling ads on Facebook and Instagram. (Photo: LPS.1 / Wikimedia Commons)}

Dutch licensed gambling trade association VNLOK has summoned Meta to appear before a court in Amsterdam, accusing the company of allowing widespread illegal gambling advertising to reach Dutch consumers on Facebook and Instagram.

In a statement published on 28 September 2026, VNLOK said the summons marks the final step in legal action it first announced in June, after what it describes as years of insufficient action by Meta against ads for unlicensed operators.

The case lands at a pointed political moment. VNLOK noted that the Dutch parliament's lower house, the Tweede Kamer, was due to vote the following day on a motion that would give the Dutch regulator the power to fine online platforms that fail to act on repeated notices about illegal gambling ads.

VNLOK Cites Its Own Research on Illegal Ads

According to VNLOK's own research, more than 90% of the gambling advertisements it examined on Facebook came from illegal gambling sites. The association said Meta removed only 11% of flagged illegal ads in May and 15% in June, and argues that removal after the fact often comes too late because illegal ads tend to run for only a short period before being taken down or replaced.

'We have repeatedly pointed out the scale of the problem to Meta and asked it to work with us on a structural solution. That has not delivered sufficient results. That is why we are now putting the matter before a Dutch court,' VNLOK chairman Björn Fuchs said in the statement.

'Illegal gambling providers can only reach Dutch consumers by using the infrastructure of large online platforms,' Fuchs said, adding that the parliamentary motion sends 'a political signal that could not be clearer'.

Case Rests on EU Digital Services Act

VNLOK is asking the court to rule that Meta is breaching its obligations under the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA) and to order the company to take stronger measures to prevent illegal gambling ads reaching Dutch consumers before they are published, rather than relying on after-the-fact takedowns.

The trade body stressed that the case targets the facilitation of illegal supply rather than social media generally, arguing that a regulated market with consumer protection and addiction-prevention rules only works if illegal operators cannot buy their way past it through major platforms. VNLOK said it expects to pursue similar action against other platforms if the pattern of illegal advertising persists once one channel is closed off.

The Netherlands operates a licensed online gambling market, and its regulator, the Kansspelautoriteit, already refers a substantial number of illegal ads to platforms for removal. VNLOK argues the watchdog does not need to wait for new legislation and can use its existing powers now, a point echoed in the parliamentary motion tabled by MP Bikkers and colleagues. The association has previously launched a portal to combat illegal gambling aimed at helping consumers identify unlicensed sites.

Meta had not issued a public response to the summons at the time of VNLOK's statement. The case will now proceed through the Amsterdam court, with the parliamentary vote on platform fining powers expected to add further pressure regardless of the legal outcome.

Read VNLOK's full statement (in Dutch) for the association's complete account of the case and its research findings.