Meta’s illegal gambling advertisements exposed: 38 million Dutch users impacted, research reveals

(AsiaGameHub) –   Released on Wednesday, the report indicated that if such activity continued for an entire year, these ads could have brought in millions of euros in advertising revenue for Meta.

Carried out by XY Legal Solutions B.V. in partnership with industry group VNLOK, the research analyzed publicly accessible data from Meta’s Ad Library for Facebook and Instagram.

The study centered on ads running from March 1 to 31, 2026, utilizing eight Dutch search terms linked to online gambling—including “gokkast” (slot machine), “gratis spins” (free spins), “welkomstbonus” (welcome bonus), and “Holland Casino”.

From this sample, researchers found 15,114 ads they categorized as illegal. Ads are considered illegal if they are associated with operators that lack a license from the Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA).

Key findings

The report calculated that in March 2026, the illegal ads reached around 37.9 million unique Dutch users. If each user saw the ads an average of twice, this adds up to about 75.8 million impressions for the month. These ads pointed users to 1,292 unique URLs and were posted from 2,210 separate Facebook pages.

This trend continued into April, with the KSA submitting more than 4,600 reports to Meta about unauthorized gambling promotions on Facebook and Instagram.

Per the KSA’s 202 fifty report, an estimated 50,000 illegal gambling ads were detected monthly across various social media platforms in the previous year.

Importantly, the study estimated that 5.8 million of the March impressions reached people aged 18 to 24—translating to roughly 71 million impressions per year. Significantly, 65.4% of the illegal ads targeted users under 24, a group that licensed operators in the Netherlands are forbidden from advertising to under a law enacted in July 2023.

The younger demographic

Earlier this month, the KSA conducted a survey on all gambling ads on Meta. The survey found that 31 out of 277 monitored ads (11.2%) targeted age groups that included 18- to 23-year-olds. Notably, a single Holland Casino ad was said to have reached over 21,000 Dutch users aged 18-24, and researchers believe more than 15% of its total Dutch audience was likely under 24.

In the latest survey, around 38.3% of the identified ads were removed or disabled while the research was ongoing. This points to Meta’s reactive approach to enforcement. But the report noted that new illegal ads popped up faster than existing ones were taken down.

The study uncovered multiple tactics used to get around moderation. These included extremely short ad campaigns (with a median length of three days, and 93% lasting fewer than 14 days), cloaking via app store links that send users to unlicensed gambling sites, impersonation of popular Dutch brands, and fake testimonial accounts.

Estimated advertising revenue

Since Meta doesn’t share revenue data by country or sector, the authors turned the number of impressions into approximate revenue figures. They used publicly available cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) benchmarks for Meta in the Netherlands, applying three scenarios: €8 (conservative), €11 (realistic), and €15 (upper limit), each assuming two impressions per user.

For March 2026, the estimated ad revenue generated from illegal gambling adverts is:

• €606,551 at €8 CPM,
• €834,008 at €11 CPM,
• €1,137,283 at €15 CPM.

When annualized by simple multiplication, these numbers work out to between roughly €7.3 million (US$8.4 million) and €13.6 million (US$15.7 million) in possible annual revenue.

The authors stressed that these figures are only indicative, as they come from public CPM benchmarks and Meta’s reach data—not internal financial records.

The familiar conversation

Gambling ad restrictions have long been a divisive topic in the Netherlands. In 2023, the country imposed a ban on untargeted ads to stop them from reaching young adults.

These rules apply to licensed operators, but the report highlights that illegal providers keep advertising to young users through social media platforms.

The Netherlands is still committed to cracking down on gambling ads: the KSA formally reminded operators of gambling ad rules ahead of the World Cup, and last week, the regulator warned license holders that any violations of gambling laws would result in quick enforcement measures.

Earlier this year, the Dutch government started discussing a complete ban on gambling ads. In a January agreement, the government drew a comparison between gambling and sex work.

VNLOK—one of the survey’s sponsors—warned that a full ad ban could push activity into the black market. Björn Fuchs, VNLOK’s chairman, stated that a total advertising ban would weaken the Netherlands’ existing gambling policy.

Although the study focuses on March 2026 and a specific set of search terms, the authors noted that broadening the search criteria or conducting long-term monitoring could reveal even more illegal ads. They have made the underlying dataset available for verification if requested.