The Netherlands: KVA study finds 1.6m monthly visits to sites promoting casinos without self-exclusion

A new study by the Dutch Responsible Affiliates Quality Mark (KVA) has found that websites targeting searches such as “Casino without Cruks” receive more than 1.6 million visits per month from the Netherlands.

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.

For the study, a total of 41 domains specifically targeting Dutch consumers wishing to gamble outside the Central Register for Exclusion from Gambling (Cruks) were analysed on 29 May 2026. Collectively, these websites account for an estimated 1,677,494 monthly visits from the Netherlands.

The investigated websites also contain rankings, reviews, comparisons and direct links to illegal gambling providers.

KVA emphasises that the findings are relevant to current political discussions on the further tightening of gambling policy.

It is also calling on Google, policymakers and the regulated gambling sector to work together to reduce the visibility of websites that actively link to illegal gambling offerings.

In response, KVA launched an initiative last month targeting search terms such as “casino without Cruks”. The aim is to redirect users towards licensed operators through informational SEO content.

As part of the initiative, legal affiliates actively inform consumers about the differences between legal and illegal online casinos in the Netherlands.

Some previous KVA initiatives have already focused on improving the organic visibility of informative and cautionary content within search engines.

KVA, in collaboration with the Dutch Association of Online Gambling Providers (VNLOK), recently estimated that Meta generates up to €13.6m ($15.8m) per year from illegal gambling advertisements targeting the Dutch market.