Meta Ads Sent Dutch CRUKS Users to Unlicensed Casinos
BNR found the ads while examining Meta’s advertising library. They appeared during the final months of 2025 and the first half of 2026 and directed Dutch users toward gambling sites without a local license.
Ads Sold a Way Around CRUKS
CRUKS blocks registered players from licensed gambling in the Netherlands for at least six months. More than 100,000 people were on the register by early 2026.
The advertising turned that restriction into a hook. Some creatives claimed international casinos did not check CRUKS. Others portrayed the system as unwanted government control over a player’s choices.
AI-generated people appeared in a number of the ads. Links then led to comparison-style websites listing casinos that operate outside the Dutch regulated market.
This was not hidden behind obscure wording. BNR found campaigns through basic searches in Meta’s ad library, including terms related directly to CRUKS. Facebook pages carrying the ads used names such as Zonder Cruks and Betrouwbare Spelsites.
Paid Traffic Put Meta in the Picture
The campaigns were paid placements, meaning Meta received advertising revenue while they were active. The company did not disclose how much it earned from the Dutch gambling ads.
The issue is already familiar to regulators. In April, the Kansspelautoriteit reported more than 4,600 illegal gambling ads to Meta. That enforcement push covered unlicensed promotion more broadly.
The BNR findings are narrower. These campaigns were built around people who had already entered a system intended to keep them away from gambling.
Accounts Disappeared After BNR Questions
Meta removed numerous ads after being contacted by BNR. It also banned the Facebook accounts Zonder Cruks and Betrouwbare Spelsites.
One website reached through the ads changed as well. It stopped ranking unlicensed online casinos and switched to digital slot-style games where users cannot win or lose real money.
Meta said gambling advertising must comply with applicable rules and that it takes enforcement seriously.
Self-Excluded Players Face a Different Risk
Addiction specialists focused on the audience rather than the ads themselves. Gea-marit Dekker of the Trimbos Institute noted that CRUKS users may have registered to protect themselves or others. Jellinek’s Judith Noijen also warned that stress or loneliness can weaken self-control and increase the chance of returning to gambling.
The problem for Dutch enforcement is fairly specific. CRUKS works when a player reaches a licensed operator. It does not prevent that same person from being shown a paid ad for an offshore casino. Removing individual campaigns may cut their reach for a time, but the BNR investigation shows how easily the message can move through new pages, comparison sites and domains. That leaves advertising platforms as one of the places where the gap has to be closed.