VNLOK, the trade association for licensed Dutch online gambling operators, has served Meta with a summons at the Amsterdam District Court. It alleges Meta breaches the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) by letting unlicensed gambling adverts reach Dutch consumers on Facebook and Instagram.
VNLOK (Vergunde Nederlandse Online Kansspelaanbieders) is asking the court to rule that Meta is in breach of the DSA and to order the company to put measures in place that stop illegal gambling ads from reaching players in the Netherlands.
No public response from Meta to the summons had been reported at the time of writing.
The case against Meta
VNLOK announced in June 2026 that it would take Meta to court. In the same month it filed a complaint with the European Commission. The outcome of that complaint has not been made public.
The summons concerns how Meta handles unlawful content under the DSA. Facebook and Instagram are designated very large online platforms (VLOPs) under the regulation, which requires them to run notice-and-action systems for illegal content and to assess and reduce systemic risks on their services. VNLOK argues Meta has failed on both counts where unlicensed gambling is concerned.
VNLOK chairman Björn Fuchs said the association had tried to resolve the issue with Meta directly before going to court.
“We have repeatedly pointed out the scale of the problem to Meta and asked them to cooperate structurally in finding a solution.”
What VNLOK’s research found
The case rests on VNLOK’s own monitoring of gambling ads served to Dutch users on Meta’s platforms.
In May 2026, 96.5% of the gambling ads VNLOK examined came from operators without a Dutch licence. In June the figure was 93.7%. Meta removed 11% of the flagged unlicensed ads in May and 15% in June.
Removal rates were lower in VNLOK’s earlier research period. The association counted 61,717 gambling ads in October 2025, 84,493 in November and 67,732 in December. More than 95% came from unlicensed operators, and Meta removed between 3% and 5.2% of them.
The data also shows how short-lived the ads are. In May, 76% of unlicensed ads disappeared within a day; in June, 65% did. VNLOK says this makes removal after publication largely ineffective, since most ads have already stopped running before a notice is handled. It also found that unlicensed operators whose ads are taken down return under different advertiser identities.
The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gambling regulator, reportedly sends Meta thousands of removal requests every month.
Licensed operators face tighter ad rules
Since 1 July 2023, licensed Dutch operators have been barred from untargeted advertising on TV, radio, print and outdoor media, and may advertise on social media only where they can ensure the audience is 24 or older. Unlicensed operators sit outside that regime, and VNLOK’s figures show they placed more than nine in ten of the gambling ads it examined on Facebook and Instagram.
The KSA has continued to build out the licensed market, most recently granting eight Dutch online licences running to 2031. Earlier this month the KSA chair called for European action on illegal gambling.
Parliament weighs platform fines
The summons comes as Dutch lawmakers consider giving the KSA direct powers over platforms. On 23 September, VVD MP Bart Bikkers tabled a proposal to amend the Gambling Act (Wet op de kansspelen) that would allow the KSA to fine platforms or impose penalty orders when unlicensed gambling ads keep appearing after repeated removal requests. The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on it on 29 September.
Current law gives the regulator no specific mechanism to act against platforms over repeat violations. Fuchs said the KSA should press harder on intermediaries.
“The regulator must hold parties that play a role in reaching Dutch consumers with illegal offerings more emphatically accountable.”
What happens next
No hearing date has been made public. If the court finds for VNLOK, it could order Meta to change how it screens and removes gambling ads aimed at Dutch users.
Fuchs indicated that Meta may not be the association’s only target.
“Meta is currently the party we are taking legal action against, but the problem is broader.”
The parliamentary vote will decide whether the KSA gains its own route to fine platforms, running alongside the civil case in Amsterdam and the pending complaint in Brussels.
Source: VNLOK
