A task force is working with Google on a list of legal gambling operators in the European Union, the Dutch gambling regulator says. Its account describes work in progress and does not announce a public list.
In a signed commentary published on 14 October, Michel Groothuizen says the Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) and other European regulators met Google and Meta in Dublin in spring. He links the proposed list specifically to Google. The account does not say Meta is implementing the same measure.
Groothuizen presents the list as a way for Google to exclude illegal operators. He also says cooperation can run alongside preparation for legal action, and leaves that route open if voluntary efforts prove insufficient. The commentary does not announce a new fine, a completed court case or a date when the list will start operating.
For a player arriving through a search result or an advertisement, a proposal about screening operators cannot confirm that the site in front of them is authorised where they live. The announcement provides no public list or technical instructions for checking an entry.
Check the national licence, not the search placement
In the Netherlands, the Ksa's online-gambling licence explanation says an operator needs a Koa licence under Article 31a of the Dutch gambling law. Its Kansspelwijzer directs readers to the official register of providers permitted to offer gambling in the country. That is a Dutch check, not an EU-wide permission to operate.
The exact site still matters. Our reporting on copied casino domains describes a separate problem: a familiar-looking name can lead to a different destination. A future platform screening process should not be confused with verification of the particular operator and website a player is using today.
The missing information is practical: how the proposed list will record different national permissions, how it will be maintained and when Google will use it. Groothuizen's commentary leaves those implementation details open.
