KSA outlines combined 'engage and litigate' approach to reduce illegal online gambling visibility and payments

The Dutch regulator says fines alone are failing to stop illegal online gambling and describes parallel tactics to make illegal operators harder to find and to block their payments, including talks and a joint task force with Google to create an EU 'whitelist' of legal operators.

Verified facts

• The Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) published a statement on 14 October 2026 marking five years since the Dutch online gambling market was legalised and reflecting on enforcement experience.
• Ksa notes research showing about 90% of Dutch online gamblers use legal operators for their hobby, but that roughly one euro of gambling spend in the Netherlands goes to illegal operators for every euro spent at legal providers.
• Ksa reports that fining illegal operators sends a clear message but has limited practical effect on recovering funds; collection and enforcement against illegal operators remains difficult.
• Over the past 18 months Ksa has pursued a parallel strategy focused on frustrating illegal supply by making illegal sites harder to find and preventing payments to and through them.
• Ksa identifies the role of Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), naming Google and Meta as examples, as significant contributors to illegal operators’ visibility through advertising.
• The regulator asserts it can gather sufficient evidence showing VLOPs facilitate prohibited activities in the Netherlands and Europe, and that both Dutch law and the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) provide legal hooks for enforcement.
• Ksa describes engagement with big tech: meetings with Google and Meta in Dublin and the creation of a joint task force. One concrete project is a 'white list' being prepared with Google of all legal EU gambling providers so Google can exclude other operators.
• Ksa frames its approach as both collaborative (seeking voluntary platform action) and adversarial (keeping litigation an option if voluntary steps are ineffective), noting litigation would be long, costly and uncertain but remains available.
• Ksa references political debate and external calls for tougher action, including remarks by VVD MP Bart Bikkers and commentary from gambling lawyer Justin Franssen urging stricter measures against Big Tech.

GEOs and markets

Netherlands; European Union (EU)

Brands and organisations

Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa); Google; Meta; Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs); Digital Services Act (DSA); Bart Bikkers; Justin Franssen

Impact on media buyers

GameHub editorial analysis: For affiliates and media buyers, Ksa’s statement signals intensified platform-level countermeasures against illegal operators: expect efforts to reduce discoverability via platform ad controls, the emergence of an EU-focused 'white list' for legal operators, and parallel threats of litigation. Payment‑flow disruption and targeting of ad inventory that promotes unlicensed offers are now explicit regulatory priorities in the Netherlands and potentially at EU level. Campaigns that drive traffic to destinations not on platform or regulator white lists face higher removal, blocking or payment‑interruption risk. Platforms may adopt stricter verification for gambling advertisers and broaden takedown activity under DSA obligations; this could reduce available paid inventory and require quicker destination QA and contractual guarantees from affiliate partners and operators serving EU/NL audiences.

GameHub comment

GameHub editorial analysis: What GameHub Partners’ media buyers should do now: 1) Immediately verify that every destination you drive traffic to is a licensed EU operator and prepare white‑label and sub‑brand documentation for verification; 2) Build a rapid QA checklist for ad creative and landing‑page discoverability (keywords, metadata, redirect chains) to avoid triggering platform enforcement; 3) Audit payment routing and merchant accounts used in funnels that serve NL/EU audiences and be ready to re-route or pause campaigns if payment-blocks occur; 4) Flag NL/EU targeted campaigns with legal teams and require operator assurances around licencing and inclusion in any platform white lists; 5) Monitor Google/Meta policy enforcement updates and the DSA enforcement guidance — platform behaviour could change quickly after task‑force outputs. Ksa’s combined entice-and-fight message means voluntary fixes may arrive, but buyers must assume enforcement and platform rules will tighten and act to protect conversion throughput and compliance.

Editorial note: The “Verified facts” section reports the primary source. The impact and GameHub comment sections are editorial analysis, not claims made by the organiser.