The Netherlands: KVA flags illegal site exploiting suicide prevention name

The Dutch Responsible Affiliates Quality Mark (KVA) has raised concerns over a dangerous tactic one website employed to promote illegal gambling operators. According to KVA, the site appears to exploit the name of the national suicide prevention helpline 113 to attract vulnerable players. 

KVA, founded in 2021, is a self-regulatory industry initiative that certifies gambling affiliates in the Netherlands who agree to promote only licensed operators and protection standards.

During its regular monitoring of the visibility and practices of illegal gambling sites in the Netherlands, KVA came across 1113.nl. Its investigation found links to at least 16 illegal gambling operators on the site. 

These operators were promoted with offers including deposit bonuses of up to 300% and €11,500 ($13,380), as well as claims such as “no betting limits.” 

The association voiced serious concerns over problem gamblers who might experience suicidal thoughts and called this the ‘’most reprehensible practice encountered in monitoring.’’ 

Earlier, KVA also warned that Illegal casinos are increasingly targeting Dutch players, with search terms such as “casino without Cruks” and “casino without limit” frequently used in this context. For context, Cruks is the national self-exclusion register. 

Furthermore, Dutch broadcaster BNR recently investigated how illegal online casinos are using Meta platforms to target vulnerable individuals, including people signed up to Cruks. The broadcaster noted that Meta is potentially earning millions from this unlawful practice. 

According to BNR, at least hundreds of advertisements were visible on Meta platforms in late 2025 and the first half of 2026. Ad visibility varied from several views to tens of thousands. 

Most of them are AI-generated videos and target self-excluded individuals by portraying the register as a ‘freedom restriction’ tool. This is often followed by a call to action to use illegal alternatives.