Influencer Esmee Ipema called out for promoting unlicensed gambling
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15 Jan 2026 •
Reading time: 3 minutes Esmee Ipema, a well-known personality among Dutch television viewers, is using her fame to promote gambling platforms that operate outside the legal framework.
Reality TV star at the centre of controversy
At 29, Esmee Ipema, best known for her appearances on the shows Ex on the Beach and Echte Meisjes in de Jungle, has a considerable following on social media, with nearly 188,000 followers on Instagram and an almost equally large audience on TikTok. This visibility was recently used to promote the online gaming site Trueluck, a platform that does not have a licence to operate legally in the Netherlands.
In an Instagram story that has since disappeared but was widely shared, Esmee Ipema addresses her followers from what appears to be her bedroom. According to her explanation, players could allegedly double their bonus chances by creating a second account with a different email address via her own affiliate link.
Trueluck
The website in question, Trueluck, is registered in Costa Rica and operated by Yakadea Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada. Despite not having a licence issued by the Kansspelautoriteit, the platform explicitly targets Dutch players. This is particularly evident in its Dutch-language interface, payment options tailored to the local audience, and affiliate partnerships with websites that deliberately target players registered with Cruks (the central gambling exclusion register), i.e. people who have asked to be excluded from legal gambling.
As the controversy grows, Trueluck’s reputation is already severely tarnished by feedback from real users. On public review platforms such as Trustpilot, many players complain that they have never received their winnings, that customer support is unreachable, or that their accounts have been blocked without explanation.
In one of the most striking accounts, a player named Monique claims to have won nearly €11,800 but never received a penny after requesting a withdrawal. She says:
“On 31 December, I won 5,000, 4,000, 2,000 and 800 and asked to be paid. However, I have not yet received anything. I received two emails informing me that the 5,000 and 4,000 euros had not been accepted and had been returned. God only knows where those 9,000 euros went. They claim that I lost them gambling, but that is certainly not the case. However, the history shows that this is not the case. I have not received any emails informing me that the remaining €2,000 and €800 had not been accepted, but in any case, my €11,800 has disappeared. To me, this looks like a scam. I still haven’t received a reply to my emails, and the chat simply tells me that I lost everything gambling, that this is my answer and that I have to be satisfied with it.”
Trueluck allegedly encouraged some players to post positive reviews in exchange for free spins, a strategy that can skew the overall perception but fails to offset the very high volume of negative reviews.
The impact of the case
In several countries, authorities have begun to sanction content creators who encourage illegal practices in the field of gambling. The Kansspelautoriteit recently fined several influencers who promoted unauthorised betting platforms, emphasising that this type of content may directly violate the law.
How can you protect yourself from illegal casinos?
The first step is to check whether the casino has a valid licence issued by the regulatory authority in the country concerned. In Belgium, only the Gaming Commission can approve licences.
You should also be wary of promises that seem too good to be true: excessive bonuses or quick winnings are often warning signs. Illegal casinos frequently use these arguments to attract players, without offering any guarantees regarding the payment of winnings or the security of personal data. Welcome bonuses and free spins are also prohibited in Belgium.
Finally, consulting independent user reviews and obtaining information from reliable sources can help identify risky platforms. Be careful! Some illegal sites also use fake reviews to make their site appear more reliable. When in doubt, abstaining is still the best protection.