(AsiaGameHub) –   A recent analysis of Dutch gambling advertisements displayed on Meta’s Facebook and Instagram Ad Library uncovered that a small number of ads may have violated Dutch age-targeting regulations.

This discovery emerged despite increased regulatory oversight and greater transparency measures introduced under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA).

Conducted by researchers from City University of Hong Kong and the University of Bristol, the study reviewed 277 paid advertisements from licensed Dutch gambling operators featured on Meta platforms between 2024 and early 2025.

The researchers used the DSA-mandated Ad Library, which requires advertisers to disclose the age ranges they target and the estimated reach within broad age brackets, to evaluate compliance with Dutch gambling advertising laws.

The research focused solely on Meta’s Ad Library data and licensed Dutch operators, excluding ads from other major platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Google, as well as those from unlicensed international operators, which remain prominent in the Dutch market.

Non-compliant advertisements

The study found that 31 out of the 277 advertisements (11.2%) targeted age groups that included individuals aged 18 to 23—a demographic explicitly protected under Dutch law from gambling advertising. Any ad targeting an age range that overlaps with one or more years within 18–23 was considered non-compliant.

Compliance levels varied significantly between online and offline license holders. Online gambling operators showed a high compliance rate of 92.7%, with only 7.3% of their ads deemed non-compliant. In contrast, ads associated with offline license holders had lower compliance, with nearly 30% (14 out of 47) breaching age restrictions.

Several large operators were involved in these violations. For instance, Holland Casino and its affiliated brands ran ads with age settings that included individuals under 24, resulting in significant exposure among prohibited age groups.

One Holland Casino advertisement reportedly reached over 21,000 Dutch users aged 18–24, with researchers estimating that more than 15% of its total audience in the Netherlands likely fell into this restricted category.

Meta’s age-range reporting relies on broad brackets—such as 18–24—which do not precisely align with Dutch law, which specifically bans targeting of 18–23-year-olds. This imprecision complicates accurate assessments of legal compliance.

95% of ad audience aged 24 or older

The Netherlands has enforced strict controls on gambling advertising since 2013 through the Decree on Gambling Recruitment, Advertising and Addiction Prevention, which prohibits any advertising directed at individuals under 24.

In 2022, the Dutch government announced plans to ban so-called ‘untargeted’ gambling advertisements.

“Advertising serves to guide people toward the legal offer, but preventing addiction is more important,” said Franc Weerwind, minister for legal protection at the time.

“With this measure, I aim to protect vulnerable groups, especially young people.”

The amendment took effect in 2023, requiring online license holders to implement best available practices to prevent targeting of 18–23-year-olds. It also mandated that at least 95% of each ad’s audience must be aged 24 or older.

The study applied these standards across all analyzed advertisements, including those by offline license holders, using Meta’s disclosed targeting ranges to determine compliance.

Causes behind non-compliance

Researchers identified several factors contributing to these breaches:

• Automated ad optimisation tools: Some operators used Meta’s “Advantage+” feature, which does not prompt them to set the minimum legal age at 24 for Dutch audiences. Because default settings often begin at 18, advertisers can unintentionally reach prohibited age groups.
• Human error and inconsistent checks: Manual mistakes and uneven enforcement of pre-publication compliance procedures were observed among certain operators.
• Platform data limitations: The constraints in Meta’s reporting make it difficult for both advertisers and external monitors to verify compliance with certainty.

Meta’s age-range reporting uses broad brackets—such as 18–24—which do not align precisely with Dutch law restricting targeting specifically to 18–23-year-olds.

Policy recommendations

The study proposed practical recommendations to enhance compliance and regulatory oversight:

• Social media platforms should provide audience reach data broken down by single-year age increments and allow queries for any arbitrary age range to support precise compliance verification.
• Platforms should apply country-specific legal age minimums by default, such as automatically blocking Dutch gambling advertisements from targeting users under 24.
• Dutch regulators should clarify whether the Decree’s prohibitions apply to advertisements placed by offline license holders on social media; an investigation is reportedly underway following initial ambiguity.
• Regulatory authorities should use the transparency provided by the DSA to strengthen enforcement efforts, potentially requiring pre-authorization or manual review of gambling advertisements.

The report coincides with ongoing criticism of Meta over illegal gambling advertisements.

“Anyone who spends time on their platforms will likely have seen ads promoting illegal online casinos,” said Tim Miller, executive director of the UK Gambling Commission. “Most concerningly, many are aimed at GB users via so-called ‘not on GamStop’ sites.

“These advertisements target consumers who have taken the difficult step to self-exclude from online gambling through Britain’s multi-operator self-exclusion scheme, GamStop.”