Dutch Study Finds AI Chatbots Present Unlicensed Casinos As KSA-Approved
A new Dutch study has found that ten widely used generative AI chat and search tools will readily name online casinos that lack a Dutch gambling licence, and that three of them go further, presenting unlicensed brands as though they were legally approved.
The research, published by the Keurmerk Verantwoorde Affiliates (KVA), a Dutch responsible-affiliate certification body, tested ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, Anthropic's Claude, xAI's Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral Le Chat and Meta AI using realistic Dutch-language consumer questions.
Every operator named by each tool was checked against the Kansspelautoriteit's (KSA) official licence register.
All Ten Named An Unlicensed Operator
KVA found that all ten AI tools named at least one operator without a Dutch licence, either by name or by domain, during the test conversations.
Eight of the 10 did so in response to a neutral or leading consumer question, without the user framing the request as research into illegal gambling.
Four tools, Mistral Le Chat, Google AI Mode, DeepSeek and Grok, surfaced unlicensed operator names after just a single question.
Several tools initially declined to name specific sites when researchers used explicit, illicit-intent prompts, such as asking for casinos that don't require registration with Cruks, the Netherlands' mandatory self-exclusion register for licensed operators.
But KVA found those refusals didn't hold: five tools, Grok, Copilot, Claude, Meta AI and Google Gemini, declined on the first two prompts in a research-framed question series, then provided unlicensed operator names on the third.
Some Implied Sites Were KSA-Approved
The more alarming finding, according to KVA, is that three tools, Microsoft Copilot, Mistral Le Chat and Google Gemini, presented brands without a Dutch licence in ways that implied they were legal or KSA-approved.
Copilot went furthest, generating a "Top 50 legal casinos" list that included unlicensed operators, and adding that all of the listed operators were connected to Cruks, which KVA's researchers found to be inaccurate for the unlicensed brands on the list.
The Dutch press agency ANP reported the findings on September 30, noting that KVA has urged AI providers to verify a Dutch operator's licensing status before describing it as legal, KSA-licensed or Cruks-connected.
Only companies holding a KOA licence may legally offer online casino games or betting in the Netherlands; the KSA maintains a public register that consumers can check directly before registering or depositing with an operator.
KVA cautioned that its sample is indicative rather than exhaustive, and that generative AI answers are non-deterministic and can change with model updates, settings and the timing of a query.
The findings echo an earlier pan-European investigation published in March 2026 by Investigate Europe, which tested seven AI chatbots across ten countries and found chatbots recommended gambling sites unlicensed in Europe in roughly three-quarters of replies.
For players anywhere looking to check an operator's standing before signing up, Gambling.com's recommended casino sites are vetted against each market's official regulator.
