The Responsible Affiliates Quality Mark (KVA), in collaboration with the Dutch Association of Online Gambling Providers (VNLOK), has published a new market analysis examining the scale of illegal online gambling advertising on Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
Based on publicly available advertising data, CPM benchmarks and visible advertising volumes, KVA estimates that Meta earns between approximately €7.3m and €13.6m per year from illegal gambling advertisements targeting players in the Netherlands. KVA notes that these figures are explicitly indicative estimates and are not revenue figures confirmed by Meta.
The research also identifies recurring patterns in illegal gambling advertising on Meta platforms, including short-term advertising campaigns, redirects to unlicensed gambling websites, trademark infringement involving well-known Dutch names and the rapid reappearance of advertisements after removal.
The study found that at least 15,114 illegal gambling advertisements were visible to Dutch users in March 2026. According to the report, these advertisements accounted for an estimated 75.8 million ad impressions to Dutch Facebook and Instagram users during that month. On an annual basis, this equates to approximately 910 million impressions.
KVA also distanced itself from directly criticising Meta, stating that the report is explicitly intended as a constructive market analysis and is not meant to suggest that Meta knowingly facilitates illegal gambling advertising.
Elsewhere, KVA recently launched an initiative where certified affiliates publish educational content to help consumers distinguish between legal and illegal online casinos. The aim is to direct users towards licensed operators through informational SEO content. The initiative targets search traffic such as “casino without Cruks,” with Cruks being the national self-exclusion register.
KVA is a self-regulatory industry initiative that certifies gambling affiliates in the Netherlands who agree to promote only licensed operators and follow responsible marketing and consumer protection standards
