VNLOK chair: Meta runs a ‘digital Wild West’ for Dutch gamblers

The legal move is the first by a gambling trade body against a big tech firm, according to SBC News.

The hit

Dutch trade body VNLOK has summoned Meta to court, the first gambling trade body to summon Meta to court, according to SBC News. VNLOK chair Björn Fuchs said Meta is “facilitating a digital Wild West”, letting illegal gambling sites target vulnerable Dutch audiences with no duty of care.

Why it matters

Licensed Dutch operators are compliant & thus limited by law, while unlicensed sites advertise freely on Meta’s platforms, Fuchs says. Licensed operators see this advertising as a major reason the regulated market is struggling. Fuchs suggests some adverts may be pushing punters to black market bookmakers. He says Dutch society, & Dutch consumers in particular, pay the price.

The record

Dutch channelisation rate (2025)	49%, down from 57% in 2024 & 66% in 2023
Gross gaming revenue tax, Netherlands	37.8%
Monthly searches for illegal gambling sites in Netherlands	over 1m (KVA research)
Industry pressure on Meta before court action	BGC open letter, June; EGBA calls for DSA enforcement

What happens next

Watch for VNLOK’s case progress through Dutch courts & whether other European trade bodies, which Fuchs says VNLOK is in contact with, join the legal push against Meta.

Sources: VNLOK Chair: “Meta is facilitating a digital Wild West”

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