(AsiaGameHub) –   The Dutch government’s proposed gambling advertising ban is at a crossroads. State Secretary Claudia van Bruggen argues current rules fail to protect vulnerable players. But licensed operators like FDJ United say the ban will push users to unregulated black markets. This gap between intent and impact is the crux of the impasse.

At Gaming in Holland, FDJ’s Chief Online Betting Officer Pascal Chaffard offered an alternative. He wants targeted restrictions tied to compliance standards instead of a full ban. VNLOK data shows over 90% of Meta’s gambling ads come from black markets. H2 Gambling Capital reports channelisation rate fell from 70% to nearly 50% in two years. Chaffard is forming a task force to fight black markets—focused on education, reducing their visibility, and improving regulated customer experiences. He’s also working with the EU Commission to speed up illegal site take-downs.

The compliance loop here is broken. Regulators target licensed operators but ignore the black market’s dominance in ads. A full ban would let illegal operators take over more market share. Vulnerable players would lose the protections of licensed platforms. The policy’s goal of consumer safety would be defeated. The only way forward is to balance restrictions on licensed operators with aggressive action against illegal ones.