Meta sued by Dutch trade group over illegal gambling ads

The Dutch trade association for licensed online gambling operators, VNLOK, has filed a lawsuit against Meta in the Amsterdam District Court. The group alleges that Meta has failed to prevent the spread of illegal gambling advertisements on Facebook and Instagram, violating its obligations under the European Digital Services Act (DSA).

VNLOK claims that its research shows over 90% of gambling ads reviewed on Facebook originated from illegal sites. The association argues that Meta’s current moderation efforts are insufficient, noting that only 15% of illegal advertisements were removed in June. According to VNLOK chairman Björn Fuchs, illegal operators use various tactics to bypass automated moderation, such as cloaking, redirects to Telegram, and the unauthorized use of established Dutch gambling brands.

The lawsuit seeks a court ruling to force Meta to implement stronger measures to block illegal gambling ads targeting Dutch consumers before they appear, rather than merely reacting to them. VNLOK emphasizes that the legal action targets the uncontrolled spread of these ads through the platforms' infrastructure rather than social media itself.