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Research finds under-24s illegally targeted by Dutch gambling ads

Phys · · 466 words · By Leon Y Xiao
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What to know about Research finds under-24s illegally targeted by Dutch gambling ads

Researchers analyzed Meta's ad library to evaluate compliance with Dutch laws prohibiting gambling advertisements targeted at individuals under 24. The study found that a minority of online and offline gambling licensees violated these rules, with a notable tendency for algorithms to target young men.

Propaganda risk 10%
Claims checked 14
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

May 4, 2026 dialog Research finds under-24s illegally targeted by Dutch gambling ads Lisa Lock scientific editor Robert Egan associate editor The Netherlands prohibits gambling advertising from targeting young people under age 24.

Why it matters

Using Meta's ad library, we found a minority of ads published by both online (7.3%) and offline (29.8%) Dutch gambling licensees that broke this rule, including the state-owned Holland Casino (which quickly admitted to and fixed the mistake upon notification).

Common ground

Compliance is not yet perfect and requires stricter enforcement by the Dutch gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit, to improve.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Researchers analyzed Meta's ad library to evaluate compliance with Dutch laws prohibiting gambling advertisements targeted at individuals under 24. The study found that a minority of online and offline gambling licensees violated these rules, with a notable tendency for algorithms to target young men.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-24s-illegally-dutch-gambling-ads.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 7
schedule Pending 4
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified 1
schedule
Claim 1: “Leon Y. Xiao et al, A significant minority of Dutch gambling adverts on social media illegally targeted and likely reached under-24s... Journal of Behavioral Addictions (2026). DOI: 10.1556/2006.2026.00037”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 2: “He has been Called to the Bar of England and Wales.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 3: “including the state-owned Holland Casino (which quickly admitted to and fixed the mistake upon notification).”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results discuss the geography of Holland and cruise lines, but do not mention Holland Casino's advertising practices or any specific mistakes they corrected.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The predominance of Holland in the Netherlands has resulted in regionalism on the part of the other provinces, a reaction to the perceived threat that Holland poses to their local culture and identity…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Find your cruise vacation today with Holland America Line on one of our award-winning cruises to Alaska, Europe, Caribbean, Hawaii, Mediterranean, and more.
https://www.hollandamerica.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — People often use the terms "Holland" and "the Netherlands" interchangeably, but they don’t match up exactly. The official name of the northwestern European land of tulips and windmills is "Koninkrijk …
https://www.britannica.com/story/is-holland-the-same-place-a…
info
Claim 4: “Using Meta's ad library, we found a minority of ads published by both online (7.3%) and offline (29.8%) Dutch gambling licensees that broke this rule”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results for this claim are completely irrelevant (discussing Zhihu and 7-Zip), providing no evidence to support or refute the specific percentages mentioned.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 知乎，中文互联网高质量的问答社区和创作者聚集的原创内容平台，于 2011 年 1 月正式上线，以「让人们更好的分享知识、经验和见解，找到自己的解答」为品牌使命。知乎凭借认真、专业、友善的社区氛围、独特的产品机制以及结构化和易获得的优质内容，聚集了中文互联网科技、商业、影视 ...
https://www.zhihu.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 侵权举报 网上有害信息举报专区 儿童色情信息举报专区 互联网算法推荐举报专区 违法和不良信息举报：010-82716601 举报邮箱：jubao@zhihu.com
https://www.zhihu.com/?lang=zh-Hant
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 7-zip在其独创的压缩格式上还是比较有优势的，压缩率更高，安全性也不错。 其软件在解码其他格式压缩包时效率也不错。 不大不小的缺陷是界面比较丑；默认安装可能没有关联文件格式，要手动打开7-zip文件管理器，进入工具-首选项设置文件关联。
https://www.zhihu.com/question/20498753
info
Claim 5: “The Netherlands prohibits gambling advertising from targeting young people under age 24.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results mention that legislation is being amended in the Netherlands and that Denmark has age restrictions, but they do not explicitly confirm a current Dutch law prohibiting gambling ads targeting those under 24.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — As in Belgium, legislation on gambling recruitment, advertising and addiction is also being amended in the Netherlands. In this context, Evert-Jan Slootweg, Member of Parliament, has put a series of q…
https://corporate.ladbrokes.be/en/news/article/total-ban-on-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Whistle-to-whistle ban prohibits gambling ads during live sports from 10 minutes before through 10 minutes after events. Celebrity and influencer endorsements completely banned. Age restrictions for a…
https://igamingb2b.net/denmark-approves-gambling-ads/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Meta’s advertising policies say that online gambling and games advertisements may not be targeted to people under 18 years of age. Despite these restrictions, ISD analysts located several user-generat…
https://www.isdglobal.org/digital-dispatch/pathways-to-parla…
verified
Claim 6: “compared to video game loot box presence disclosure contexts, where non-compliance has been widespread at over 90%”
VERIFIED
A web search result explicitly states that a new study found 'overwhelming (90%+) non-compliance with mandatory advertising disclosure requirements for gambling-like loot boxes in video games'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A new study has found overwhelming (90%+) non-compliance with mandatory advertising disclosure requirements for gambling-like loot boxes in video games, raising concerns about consumer protection enfo…
https://techxplore.com/news/2025-06-widespread-compliance-lo…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Loot boxes are gambling-like products inside video games that players can purchase with real-world money to obtain random rewards.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12583229/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Loot boxes are purchased in video games to obtain randomised rewards of varying value and are thus psychologically akin to gambling.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal…
info
Claim 7: “these results, published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results confirm that the 'Journal of Behavioral Addictions' exists and is a publication, but they do not confirm that this specific research on Dutch gambling ads was published in it.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Journal of Behavioral Addictions declares its support for and follows the ethical principles enshrined in the Farmington Consensus.
https://akjournals.com/abstract/journals/2006/2006-overview.…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Addiction Journal – Scientific Publication.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13600443
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Dutch gambling regulator has imposed a record €24.8 million fine on operator Novatech for illegally targeting players in the Netherlands.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/express-weekly-wrap-up-61-net…
schedule
Claim 8: “Dr. Leon Y. Xiao is a Presidential Assistant Professor at City University of Hong Kong.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 9: “This research was conducted using the Meta advertising repository, which is a full database of all paid advertising shown on Instagram and Facebook that Meta is legally required to provide by Article 39 of the EU Digital Services Act.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results regarding Article 39 of the EU Digital Services Act or Meta's specific requirements under it.
info
Claim 10: “Among young people aged 18–24, the online gambling ads in our sample reached 7.3 times more men than women”
SINGLE SOURCE
Search results discuss gambling ads targeting men more than women in Ireland and generally on social media, but they do not provide the specific '7.3 times' figure for the Dutch sample mentioned in the claim.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A study using the Meta Ad Library found that gambling companies are reaching young men on social media at more than double the rate of women, with 91% of ads targeting men only. The age group most exp…
https://www.brightsurf.com/news/1EO94G7L/gambling-ads-on-soc…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Meta gambling ads target young men 2.3 times more: Study. Neha Soni.The study, which analysed hundreds of adverts in Ireland, found that young men were reached 2.3 times more often than women across M…
https://sigma.world/news/meta-gambling-ads-target-men/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Study Highlights Gender Gap In Gambling Ad Exposure. A study has found that gambling ads on social media reach men at far higher rates than women, with young men the most exposed group.
https://www.realmoneyaction.com/study-highlights-gender-gap-…
info
Claim 11: “offline gambling licensees are required to comply due to regulatory overlap (yes, they are)”
SINGLE SOURCE
While search results mention general licensing requirements for remote gambling and Google's offline restrictions, they do not explicitly confirm the legal requirement for offline licensees to comply with the specific age-based advertising restrictions mentioned in the claim.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Pursuant to the remote gambling licensing regime, licensees are required to have their “game system” located within the EU/EEA. Additionally, the control database must be located in the Netherlands. T…
https://iclg.com/practice-areas/gambling-laws-and-regulation…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — This clarification distinguishes offline gambling from online gambling operations and social casino games, which operate under separate certification requirements within Google's advertising framework…
https://ppc.land/google-expands-offline-gambling-ad-restrict…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 3.5. Licensees can have a significant amount of interaction with customers through: customer processes such as verification of age and identity, assessment of financial risk and source of funds for an…
https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/guidance/customer-inte…
help
Claim 12: “we also identified gambling ads with novel GRWM (Get Ready With Me) aesthetics that specifically targeted young women”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding GRWM aesthetics in gambling ads.
info
Claim 13: “while the offline gambling ads less starkly reached 1.4 times more men.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results for 'offline gambling ads' returned results for 'Army Knowledge Offline', which are completely irrelevant to the claim.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Army Knowledge Offline is a link hub for most U.S. Army websites. Here you are able to find quick links to easy and hard to find Army sites alike
https://akoffline.us/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Army Knowledge Offline is a link hub for most U.S. Army websites. Here you are able to find quick links to easy and hard to find Army sites alike
https://akoffline.us/ListedLinks.html
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — For further information or questions on this please feel free to email them to info@akoffline.us or find me on global. Please note while I do not respond to every email, I do read them. Always, thank …
https://akoffline.us/AboutAKO.html
schedule
Claim 14: “Meta is also required to provide data on which demographics were targeted and how many users of each demographic group were reached.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.