Marking five years since the legalization of the Dutch online gambling market, Netherlands Gambling Authority (Ksa) Chairman Michel Groothuizen has published an in-depth assessment of the ongoing battle against illegal operators.
Balancing voluntary cooperation and legal confrontation with VLOPs
While approximately 90% of Dutch online gamblers use legal providers, financial parity remains an ongoing challenge, with roughly one euro spent in the illegal circuit for every euro gambled legally.
Addressing calls from parliamentarians such as VVD MP Bart Bikkers and gambling lawyer Justin Franssen for strict enforcement against Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), Chairman Groothuizen emphasized the practical complexities of fining tech giants.
Although social media platforms host thousands of prohibited advertisements targeting vulnerable individuals and minors in violation of Dutch law and the European Digital Services Act, immediate litigation carries substantial risks. Pursuing legal action against opponents with inexhaustible financial resources could lead to protracted multi-year court battles with uncertain outcomes.
Consequently, the Ksa has adopted a parallel strategy of combining constructive dialogue with legal preparedness. Following high-level discussions with European regulators and representatives from Google and Meta in Dublin, a joint task force was formed.
This task force is actively developing a white list of EU-licensed operators, allowing Google to automatically block unlisted entities. However, Groothuizen stressed that voluntary measures are not a permanent guarantee and that the regulator remains fully prepared to initiate legal proceedings if cooperation proves insufficient.
