Licensed Dutch operators captured 59% of online gaming revenue in H1 2026

Licensed online gambling operators in the Netherlands generated approximately €670 million in gross gaming revenue (BSR) during the first half of 2026, an increase of 11% versus the second half of 2025. The regulator Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) estimates that licensed operators captured 59% of BSR in that period, up from 54% previously, while the average monthly number of people who played with legal providers remained around 490,000.

Key market figures and account activity

Operators reported an average of 1.48 million active accounts per month in H1 2026, versus 1.38 million in H2 2025. Operators opened 563,000 accounts during the half, compared with 529,000 in the prior period. The increase points to more activity among existing users rather than a materially larger audience.

The Ksa estimated that roughly 820,000 people used licensed providers at some point between January and June 2026, based on GfK panel data and additional methods.

Losses per player and per account

The Ksa’s average monthly loss per player was €137, compared with €121 in the previous half. Measured per account, the average monthly loss remained €75, and accounts of users aged 18–23 years recorded an average loss of €34 per month.

The Ksa adjusted its figures to account for the fact that one person can use multiple accounts and play intermittently; after that adjustment the average loss per person reached €137.

Product categories and calendar effects

Banking games remained the largest category, with €492 million, about 73% of licensed revenues. Sports betting generated approximately €163 million, or 24% of licensed turnover, up from 20% in H2 2025. The Ksa noted that the start of the men’s FIFA World Cup in June may have contributed to that increase.

Legal vs unregulated market and methodologies

The Ksa estimated that licensed providers captured 59% of BSR in H1 2026, while player-share-based estimates put the legal share between 94% and 97%, depending on the method. Around 20,000 users used only unauthorized operators in an average month, and another 10,000 used both legal and illegal sites. The Ksa warned that estimating the unregulated market remains difficult; its calculations combine GfK participation data with a Google Ads search-volume method and are being refined.

Advertising, regulation and treatment demand

Licensed operators reduced their online ad placements by about 33%, from roughly 75,000 monthly placements in H2 2025 to 50,000 in H1 2026. Trade association VNLOK has taken Meta to court for claiming that more than 90% of gambling ads on Facebook originate from unlicensed operators in the Netherlands. In June the government proposed an almost total ban on online gambling advertising.

Specialist services treated 3,108 people for gambling as their main problem in 2025, an increase of 14% compared with 2024. The self-exclusion register Cruks added an average of 2,076 people per month, reaching about 120,200 registrations by 31 July 2026.

Young representation in legal accounts remains high: people aged 18–23 years held approximately 22% of legal accounts despite comprising 9.2% of the adult population. Separate Ksa research showed that 11% of accounts opened by under-19s in 2024–2025 were dated on their birthday, and 38% were opened in the month after turning 18.