A recent research report reveals that during March 2026, the reach of illegal online gambling ads on the Meta platform was astonishing—about 37.9 million Dutch users saw these ads, nearly 70% of which precisely targeted individuals under 24 years old. The study was jointly conducted by XY Legal Solutions and the industry organization VNLOK, based on public data from Meta's ad archives. PASA's official website notes that these figures are reigniting the debate in the Netherlands about a complete ban on gambling ads.
15,000 illegal ads rampant on Meta with a variety of evasion tactics
Researchers used 8 Dutch gambling-related search terms (such as "gokkast" slot machines, "gratis spins" free spins, "welkomstbonus" welcome bonus, etc.) to search Meta's ad archives from March 1 to 31, identifying 15,114 illegal ads—i.e., ads linked to operators without a license from the Dutch gambling regulator KSA. These ads pointed to 1,292 independent URLs, published from 2,210 different Facebook pages, with an estimated total exposure of about 75.8 million times for the month, averaging two exposures per user. The tactics for evading detection were quite cunning: 1. Extremely short ad durations—the median was only 3 days, with 93% of campaigns lasting less than 14 days, pulling the ads before a response could be made; 2. Disguised redirects—redirecting users to unlicensed gambling sites through app store links; 3. Impersonating well-known Dutch brands and forging user testimonial accounts. In April of this year, KSA submitted over 4,600 reports of illegal gambling promotions to Meta, but during the study period, about 38.3% of the identified ads were removed or disabled, while new illegal ads appeared faster than old ones were taken down.
65.4% of illegal ads target young people, with monthly income estimated up to €1.13 million
The most concerning aspect is the targeting data. The study estimates that in March, there were 5.8 million exposures reaching the 18 to 24 age group, annualized at about 71 million times. Moreover, 65.4% of illegal ads targeted users under 24—the very age group that Dutch law explicitly prohibited licensed operators from targeting as of July 2023. Another KSA survey this month also showed that 11.2% of the 277 Meta gambling ads sampled involved the 18 to 23 age group, with even a Holland Casino ad reaching over 21,000 Dutch users aged 18-24. Since Meta does not disclose income by country or industry, researchers used public CPM benchmarks to estimate: under three scenarios—€8 (conservative), €11 (realistic), €15 (upper limit)—illegal gambling ads generated income for Meta ranging from €606,000 to €1.137 million in March, annualized at €7.3 million to €13.6 million (about $8.4 million to $15.7 million). The researchers emphasize that these figures are only indicative estimates, based on public CPM benchmarks and Meta's reach data rather than internal financial data.
Controversy over a complete advertising ban resurfaces, legal operators in a dilemma
Gambling ad restrictions have always been a controversial topic in the Netherlands. The non-targeted ad ban implemented in 2023 was intended to prevent gambling information from reaching young adults, but the rules only constrained licensed operators, while illegal providers continued to aggressively target young users on social platforms—precisely the core contradiction revealed by this study. The Dutch government's stance on illegal ads remains tough, with KSA re-emphasizing ad rules to licensed operators before the World Cup, warning that any violations would face swift enforcement. Earlier this year, the Dutch government began discussions on a complete ban on gambling ads, with a January agreement even comparing gambling to sex work. VNLOK chairman Björn Fuchs warns that a complete advertising ban might push activities into the black market, undermining the effectiveness of existing gambling policies. Researchers suggest that if search parameters are expanded or longitudinal monitoring is conducted, the actual scale of illegal ads could be even larger.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
Original in-depth gambling channel:https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data reports: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
