VNLOK: 96% of Facebook iGaming Ads Are Illegal

The Netherlands Association of Licensed Online Gambling Operators VNLOK conducted an analysis of iGaming operator advertising on Facebook in the Dutch market for December 2025, based on publicly available data from the Meta Ads Library.

Analysis of iGaming Advertising on Facebook

The study used 10 keyword queries, including Chicken Road, Online casino, Casino, Holland Casino, Gratis Spins, and Sweet Bonanza.

As a result of the analysis, 1,003 pages of advertisers promoting gambling products were identified.

981 pages of these were linked to illegal iGaming operators.

Overall Advertising Metrics

64,968 ads (96%) were placed by illegal operators
2,579 ads (4%) were placed by legal operators
26.11 million impressions of illegal ads during the month

Page Masking and Structure

Illegal operators used a wide range of page categories to bypass moderation.

981 pages promoted illegal websites
162 categories were used to disguise iGaming advertising

Ad Moderation on the Meta Platform

Despite the scale of placements, a significant share of ads continued to be shown to users.

3,077 ads (4.7%) were removed
61,891 ads (95.3%) continued to run

Ad Display Duration

Ads from illegal operators were shown for short periods and rotated quickly.

1.95 days — average display duration of illegal ads
87% of ads were shown for less than one day

By comparison, the average display duration of ads from legal operators was 31 days.

Formats of Illegal Advertising

Visual formats with direct calls to action were used most frequently.

72% — video format
18% — static images
5% — DCO ads with user-level personalization
50% — CTA button “Play”
37% — CTA button “Download app”

Moderation Evasion Tactics

VNLOK identifies three main schemes used by illegal operators.

Fake pre-landing pages imitating the interfaces of Google Play and the App Store
Landing page cloaking based on time of day and user characteristics
Direct links triggered by user cookies and leading to illegal operator websites

Advertising Reach in Q4 2025

In the fourth quarter of 2025, the total reach of illegal iGaming advertising on Facebook in the Dutch market amounted to 115.93 million impressions.

The peak occurred in November, with 49.83 million impressions and 82,145 ads.

In December, activity declined to 26.11 million impressions.