The Association of Licensed Dutch iGaming Operators, VNLOK, has released an analysis of online gambling advertising on Facebook for May and June 2026. The analysts examined the Meta Ads Library for Facebook pages that posted ads related to casino queries, subsequently downloading all ads from these pages for the month and evaluating them based on reach, audience, type, display duration, and licensing status. Here are the key findings:
Illegal Advertising Share:
96% β share of ads leading to products from unlicensed operators (May)
98.8% β share of ads in June
96.5% β share of illegal ads among those with the highest reach (May)
93.7% β share of illegal ads in June
697 β number of Facebook pages with online gambling ads (May)
3,237 β number of Facebook pages with online gambling ads (June)
Display Duration and Removal:
11% β share of illegal ads removed by Meta (May)
15% β share of removed ads in June
1.58 days β average display duration of an ad (May)
2 days β average display duration of an ad (June)
76% β share of ads displayed for less than a day (May)
65% β share of ads in June
As of the publication date of the analysis on August 27, VNLOK has initiated legal proceedings against Meta and has also filed a complaint with the European Commission. The association demands that Meta verify the license of advertisers before publishing ads, rather than removing them after violations occur. They are also calling for the KSA regulator to implement stricter measures against advertising platforms, marketing companies, and affiliates that direct users to products from unlicensed operators.