“I want fair and clean casino SERPs”: Frank Kruit on his mission against illegal gambling sites

The world of online casinos is all about visibility. Whoever ranks high in Google wins the battle for the player. But what if that visibility is abused by illegal providers and dubious affiliates? Frank Kruit has been fighting this for years. 

He is now a well-known name in the casino industry, where, as a content strategist, affiliate and SEO expert, he knows exactly how everything works. In this interview, he talks about how big the problem really is, what tricks illegal parties use and why he is fighting them.

Who is Frank Kruit?

I am Frank Kruit, active in the casino business for 15 years now. The first few years I worked in land-based casinos. From 2015, I went freelance, mainly in casino affiliation. First for a few years for Onetime, and now for over a year and a half for Mister Casino as a content strategist. I also have a few websites of my own, including on crypto.

On his mission & frustration

What exactly do you mean by your motto: ‘Against junk in casino SERPs | For visibility that’s right’?

I want search results about online casinos to be fair and trustworthy. To put it mildly, I am not a fan of results in Google that redirect players to illegal casinos. Especially not if those sites earn good positions in improper ways, for example through parasite SEO or hacking websites that have nothing to do with gambling. I think players should see responsible choices in Google, not junk.

What bothers you most about the current situation around illegal online casinos in the Netherlands and Belgium?

What bothers me most is that illegal online casinos still manage to reach players so easily. In the Netherlands and Belgium, the offer is strictly regulated, but search results are full of links to unlicensed casinos. This is not only bad for players, but also for legal operators who do follow all the rules.

What I find especially frustrating is that these illegal operators simply ignore warnings and fines. The Kansspelautoriteit has no stick to beat them with. These parties remain visible because they cleverly use SEO tricks, hacking and affiliates who don’t play by the rules. Thus, the legal market is being pushed aside by parties that do not comply with anything.

When did you first notice how big the problem of illegal providers and affiliates really was?

At the beginning of the regulated market, it was actually relatively quiet. Of course there were illegal providers, but their visibility wasn’t too bad. Slowly I saw that change, with more and more affiliates throwing themselves fully into illegal offerings. Initially, you mainly saw ads from illegal affiliates and gambling sites with slogans like ‘casinos without Cruks’.

The real turnaround came in October 2024, when net gaming limits were introduced. Suddenly, articles with titles like ‘playing without limits’ appeared everywhere. With that, they were drawing players away from legal casinos and sending them straight to unlicensed sites. Only then did I realise how big and sophisticated this network of illegal providers and affiliates actually is.

About illegal providers & affiliates

How do you immediately recognise a “wrong” affiliate or illegal casino provider in search results?

Often already with their title in Google. If there are words like ‘casino without Cruks’, ‘gambling without limits’ or ‘play anonymously’, you know enough. I also pay attention to domains that have nothing to do with gambling, but are suddenly full of casino content. These are often hacked sites or parasite SEO pages.

With affiliates, you can also see a difference. Some send traffic to reasonable casinos where, however illegal, you can still play pretty okay. But there are also plenty that link purely to casinos that don’t respect anything, are unlicensed and where you have to be lucky if you ever get your winnings paid out at all.

Illegal casinos I recognise easily in Google. If the title already mentions crypto, I know enough. Casinos that accept crypto are illegal by definition. Completely wrong are the so-called Telegram Casinos. These are completely outside any legislation, often operate through anonymous accounts and crypto wallets, and you are not entitled to anything as a player. Do you win a large sum of money? Then they can block you for no reason, and you can’t fight them.

Why exactly do you think affiliates are such a big problem in this market?

Affiliates are the gatekeepers of the market. Many players do not click directly to a casino via Google, but first visit an affiliate website. Affiliates therefore determine where players end up. The more illegal affiliates gain positions in Google, the more players they deliberately send to illegal casinos. Illegal casinos pay these affiliates much better than regulated ones do. As a result, more and more affiliates are taking the plunge and would rather promote an illegal site than a legal casino.

Do you see specific tricks that illegal providers use to circumvent Google’s rules?

Yes, definitely. Illegal providers use all kinds of tricks to circumvent Google’s rules. One common method is working with fake profiles. They set up entire sites with “authors” who are supposedly real people, often even with profile photos and social media accounts. Such sites try to convince Google that they have reliable content from real experts.

They also buy old domains with a lot of authority, for example from companies or foundations that have been discontinued. Then they stuff them with casino content to rank high quickly.

In recent weeks, I also see more and more forms of manipulation of search suggestions. For example, certain sites use search terms like ‘best casino without Cruks’ combined with brand-related keywords to automatically appear as suggestions in Google. To players, it then appears as if these sites are popular and trustworthy, when in reality it is pure trickery to get illegal providers higher in search results.

Another trick is cloaking. They show Google a neat informative page, but as soon as a player visits the site, they only see casino offers and affiliate links to illegal gambling sites.

About Google, Facebook and Big Tech

Why do you think Google and Facebook do so little against illegal gambling advertisements?

At Google, things are going much better by now. You see only sporadic illegal ads now, especially compared to a year ago. The Kansspelautoriteit, KVA and industry association VNLOK, among others, have pushed hard for this.

At Meta, i.e. Facebook and Instagram, things have not reached that point yet, as I still see illegal ads there. Sometimes some ads disappear after being reported, but they come back just as fast.

As long as there is no pressure from regulators, these platforms simply do not see the need to change anything. After all, a lot of money is made from these ads.

Have you ever contacted Google or other platforms to raise these issues? If so, what was their response?

Yes, I have definitely contacted platforms. At Google, for example, I have asked about the automatic search suggestions when you search for ‘reliable online casino’ and then get additions with illegal suggestions like Instant and BOF, or ‘without Cruks’. Their response is standard: this is determined by the algorithm and there is nothing they can do about it.

I also approached Trustpilot, because there are countless illegal casinos on there, complete with outgoing links and sometimes even banners. Their response was equally disappointing. They simply said, ‘We are an open platform, we don’t do anything about it.’

What do you think these tech giants could do to solve the problem?

In the case of Facebook and Instagram, the algorithm should work so that only legal casinos can advertise. Google, meanwhile, already does this almost entirely well, there you will only see an illegal ad sporadically.

At Trustpilot, I think it’s up to that if an illegal casino has a review page there. But then without an outgoing link to the casino itself and with a clear disclaimer in the picture, for example: “Please note: this casino has no Dutch licence. Look for legal providers on Kansspelautoriteit.nl.”

About the legal market & regulation

What makes it so difficult for legal providers to remain visible among all the illegal competition?

I touched on it earlier. Illegal providers simply pay affiliates better, use SEO tricks that legal casinos are not allowed to use and do not adhere to anything.

On top of that, illegal casinos perfectly capitalise on the unattractive offer in the Netherlands. With them, you can do bonus buys, use autoplay and get sky-high bonuses of sometimes thousands of euros. They incorporate this nicely in their titles and texts. So the search results show attractive headlines that match exactly what many players are looking for. The more they are clicked on, the more Google rewards these pages, and so illegal providers slowly but surely drive away the legal results.

How well do you think the Dutch Kansspelautoriteit and the Belgian Gaming Commission are acting against these practices?

They do their best. The Kansspelautoriteit tackles parties and regularly hands out fines, but most illegal providers do not pay those fines. Furthermore, the Ksa has held talks with Google, among others, and that seems to be bearing its first fruit: illegal ads are almost non-existent. Hats off.

Unfortunately, the Dutch Kansspelautoriteit does not have the tools to blacklist a site, so there is little else they can do. The Belgian Gaming Commission can, by ordering internet providers to block sites, but even that is not foolproof.

Ultimately, the problem lies mainly with technology and the limits of their power. As long as legislation and/or Google and other platforms do not cooperate structurally, it will remain difficult to fight against an inexhaustible stream of illegal providers.

What do you think should change in legislation to curb this proliferation of illegal providers?

There simply needs to be more power for regulators. The Kansspelautoriteit should be given the ability to order illegal (gambling) sites to be blocked directly through internet providers, just as happens in Belgium. In addition, fines should be better collected internationally.

On personal drives & solutions

Why do you keep pushing so hard on this issue when others may have already given up?

I love my work in the casino-affiliation industry. And I love statistics. As a real nerd, I look into the data daily to see what is happening on the internet. That’s how I constantly stumble upon the illegal junk. I find that mega interesting. I want to know how it works, what tricks they use and who is behind it.

Then I bring it up, because I think it’s important for others to know about it, so that something can be done about it. For instance, I have already received a message from the Kansspelautoriteit and have now had a video call with some employees. Sharing knowledge, in other words. Ultimately, my goal is to make the internet a little cleaner and to get players more towards the legal offer. For me, it’s all about two things: doing what I like and contributing to a fair market. That gives me energy.

What is your ultimate solution to combat “junk” in casino SERPs once and for all?

Well, then I would say: hand Google a list of all legal gambling and affiliate sites, for instance with a KVA seal. Anything outside that list simply does not show up in Google. Then you have the SERPs clean. But the illegal casinos themselves remain. That can only be dealt with legally.

A more realistic plan? Make legal providers more attractive to players. Make the offer less restricted, so that players have less reason to divert to illegal sites and thus look for them less. That makes it less interesting for illegal affiliates and gambling sites to write about it, resulting in fewer offers appearing in Google. Combine that with stricter supervision and better education about the risks of illegal gambling. You can’t ban them completely, but you can make it a lot less interesting to go there.

What do you want people to remember after reading this interview?

That I want to show how things really are behind online casinos and affiliates. I am neither a moralist who is against everything, nor a sour guy who only complains about illegal casinos. I find it interesting to find out how this all works. I bring it up because I think it is important that something is done about it, but mainly because I enjoy sharing that knowledge. If I can help the Kansspelautoriteit or a website owner a little, for example, my goal is achieved.