The VNLOK, an association of licensed online operators in the Netherlands, has filed a lawsuit against Meta over the advertising of illegal gambling on Facebook and Instagram.
The lawsuit also highlights the unauthorized use of images of football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk.
According to CasinoNieuws.nl, in the fourth quarter of 2025, Dutch users were shown an average of over 70,000 iGaming advertisements, with more than 95% of these coming from illegal operators. Meta has reportedly removed only a small fraction of these ads, even after receiving complaints.
The illegal gambling market in the Netherlands is estimated by VNLOK to exceed €1 billion per year, which is comparable to the legal segment.