Illegal online casinos placed advertisements on Facebook and Instagram targeting people in the Netherlands registered with the country’s national self-exclusion system, CRUKS. An investigation by BNR found that hundreds of such advertisements appeared on the platforms in late 2025 and the first half of 2026.
CRUKS restricts access to licensed Dutch gambling operators for at least six months. Around 100,000 people were registered with the system at the beginning of this year. However, some of the foreign casinos promoted in the advertisements did not check the Dutch self-exclusion register, allowing users to bypass the restrictions.
Some advertisements portrayed CRUKS as excessive government interference in personal freedom. Others openly promoted casinos without a Dutch licence and offered ways to circumvent the gambling ban.
Advertisers frequently used AI-generated images of people to attract audiences. The advertisements also directed users to websites ranking casinos that do not hold a Dutch licence.
BNR discovered the advertising campaigns through simple searches in Meta’s advertising library, including searches for the term “CRUKS”.
Some of the campaigns were run through accounts whose names openly suggested ways to bypass the self-exclusion system. BNR identified pages associated with Zonder Cruks and Betrouwbare Spelsites.
As Meta charges for advertising, the platform generated revenue from promoting operators that are not legally permitted to offer their services to Dutch gamblers. The relevant advertisements remained visible through Meta’s advertising tools until journalists intervened.
After BNR contacted the parties involved, one of the websites linked from the advertisements changed its content. The illegal online casinos were removed and replaced with digital slot games that do not involve real-money wins or losses.
Meta also removed a large number of advertisements and banned the Facebook accounts associated with Zonder Cruks and Betrouwbare Spelsites. The company stressed that it takes compliance seriously and expects advertisers to adhere to applicable laws and regulations.
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