Dutch trade body escalates legal case against Meta

Dutch gambling trade body VNLOK has summoned Meta to court, making good on its promise to legally challenge the tech giant over allowing illegal gambling ads on its platform. Earlier in June, VNLOK filed a complaint with the European Commission relating to an alleged large influx of gambling ads promoting illegal operators to Dutch consumers across both Facebook and Instagram. The complaint was filed on the basis of numerous VNLOK surveys examining the gambling marketing content on Meta’s platforms. According to the trade body, the findings highlighted that ‘more than 90% of the analysed gambling ads on Facebook were related to illegal operators’ . What’s more, the results published by VNLOK showed that ‘only 11% of the illegal content targeting Dutch consumers was removed in May, and a further 15% in June’. Therefore, VNLOK accused Meta of insufficient actions to protect the Dutch market, leading to the tech giant being summoned to an Amsterdam court. Björn Fuchs, Chairman of VNLOK, said: “We have repeatedly pointed out to Meta the extent of the problem and asked it to cooperate structurally on a solution. That has not yielded enough results. That is why we are now presenting the case to the Dutch court. “At the same time, we see that the House of Representatives also explicitly agendas the responsibility of platforms. That is an important signal. Illegal gambling providers can only reach Dutch consumers by using the infrastructure of large online platforms.” What Fuchs is referring to is the debate that is scheduled to take place in the House of Representatives today, 29 September, where a motion by MP Bart Bikkers will be voted on. The motion itself calls for an extension to the gambling regulator Kannspelautoriteit’s (KSA) powers that will enable it to issue financial penalties or enforcement orders to anyone who disseminates illegal gambling advertising, including corporations like Meta and Google. Fuchs added: “The Gaming Authority has already made a lot of reports to platforms. But when we see how many illegal ads appear online despite those notifications, it’s time to take the next step. The regulator must more emphatically address parties that play a role in reaching Dutch consumers with illegal offers to their responsibility.” Recent gambling debates in the Netherlands have also seen discussions turn to the licensed market as well, with reform proponents and opposition leaders calling for a complete ban of gambling advertisements instead.