Dutch Regulator Says Legal Action Against Google And Meta Remains On The Table
The Netherlands' gambling regulator, the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), says legal action against Google and Meta remains an option if the two platforms do not do more to stop illegal online casinos advertising to Dutch consumers, even as the regulator works with both companies on a joint approach to the problem.
Five Years Into A Regulated Market
In a statement published on October 14, KSA chairman Michel Groothuizen marked five years since the Netherlands legalised online gambling and licensed its first operators, noting that the illegal market has not gone away.
Research cited by the regulator suggests around 90% of Dutch online gamblers stick to licensed sites, but the KSA estimates that for every euro lost legally, roughly another euro is lost to unlicensed operators, a gap it called a top enforcement priority.
Groothuizen said fines against illegal operators send a clear signal about what is and is not allowed, but they are rarely collected, prompting the regulator to focus instead on making illegal sites harder to find and cutting off the payment channels that enable them to operate.
Not Ruling Out Court
The KSA and several other European regulators met Google and Meta in Dublin earlier this year, leading to the formation of a joint task force now developing an EU-wide whitelist of licensed operators that Google could use to block unauthorised advertisers by default.
Dutch lawmaker Bart Bikkers has pushed for the KSA to fine large platforms directly, categorised under EU rules as Very Large Online Platforms, and gambling lawyer Justin Franssen has separately argued the regulator should take a tougher line with major technology companies.
Groothuizen said he wants the KSA to be an assertive regulator but cautioned against empty threats, noting that a formal case against a company with practically unlimited legal resources could take roughly five years to resolve and that every piece of evidence would likely be contested.
He said the whitelist project with Google is the most concrete step so far, with formal legal action against either platform held in reserve rather than ruled out.
Parallel Strategy, Not A Single Choice
Groothuizen described the approach as running two tracks at once rather than choosing between persuasion and confrontation: some changes the KSA wants are trivial for Google and Meta to make, while others are more technically or financially demanding for the platforms, and the regulator is trying to identify the easier wins first while preparing evidence for possible litigation.
He noted that Western governments and the European Commission face a similar balancing act with major platforms across other sectors, from counterfeit goods to vapes, and said cooperation with Big Tech is not a permanent alliance, given how often the companies' commercial interests run counter to what regulators want.
