EU regulators are working on a white list of licensed iGaming operators for Google and Meta

European regulators are discussing a single EU-level “white list” of licensed iGaming operators with Google and Meta, so the platforms can automatically identify legal brands and block the rest. For high-risk PSPs, the point is obvious: if this gets implemented, access to traffic starts depending not on where the casino is registered, but on whether it is on the list.

1. The initiative was brought into the open by the Netherlands Gambling Authority, Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa), led by Michel Groothuizen, working together with regulators from other European countries. Delegations have already visited the European headquarters of Google and Meta in Dublin to set up a joint working group.
2. The proposed setup is a shared database of EU-approved licensees. Google would check against that list and automatically reject advertising campaigns or promotions for any iGaming site that is not included.
3. Ksa has also said that if voluntary cooperation with Big Tech does not produce quick results, regulators are prepared to move to litigation. At the same time, European operators, through the VNLOK association, are already suing Meta in Amsterdam over the volume of illegal advertising.
4. The shift matters because the enforcement target is moving away from offshore casinos themselves and toward the infrastructure around them: search, social media, and payment rails. That is where regulators can actually cut off traffic, instead of collecting fines from operators that are hard to reach in practice.

For iGaming and other high-risk merchants, this is the kind of policy change that can affect acquisition directly. If the white list model becomes operational, compliance with licensing requirements will stop being a background issue and become a gating factor for ad access on Google and Meta.