Roda JC and Dutch regulator launch campaign on sports betting among youth

Roda JC Kerkrade and the Kansspelautoriteit published research and launched the joint campaign “Wat kost je winst?” to draw attention to how young people treat sports betting. The club played the Roda JC – ADO Den Haag match on Friday 6 February wearing special ‘min-rugnummers’ to highlight the issue; the findings show betting on sport already feels normal for many young fans.

Roda JC and the Kansspelautoriteit campaign on sports betting among youth

The visible start of the campaign was the first‑division fixture between Roda JC Kerkrade and ADO Den Haag on 6 February. Roda JC temporarily used “min‑rugnummer” shirt numbers as a one‑match signal to ask what the invisible cost behind a win might be. The campaign name is Wat kost je winst? and it accompanies an educational programme for the Parkstad region aimed at amateur clubs and young players.

The Kansspelautoriteit — the Netherlands’ gambling authority — and Roda JC commissioned research into how younger football supporters engage with sports wagers. The club and the regulator stress the initiative is not about prohibition but about awareness and opening conversations about risk, control and the less pleasant outcomes that are often not discussed.

“Voetbal draait om winnen en verliezen. Maar we zien dat sportweddenschappen daar steeds vaker bij horen, vooral bij jongeren,” said Jordens Peters, general director of Roda JC. “Juist omdat voetbal zo belangrijk voor hen is, voelen wij als club de verantwoordelijkheid om dit onderwerp bespreekbaar te maken.”

Why sports betting among youth feels normal

The survey results provide a clear picture of how common sports betting is among young people and fans. Across Dutch young adults, 35% consider betting on sports matches normal. Male young‑adult football fans report this sentiment more strongly: 50% say it feels normal. Among Roda JC’s young supporters the share is higher still at 55%.

The research also finds that 4 in 10 players begin betting on sports before they turn 18. Many young people overestimate the predictive value of their football knowledge and expect wins more often than losses. The evidence the campaign cites counters that expectation: most wagers result in losses. The published average for someone who gambles online is a loss of €118 per month. One in four young people do not talk about losing because they feel ashamed.

These figures are the quantitative foundation for a campaign that aims to make peers, parents and clubs talk about betting behaviour.

What the Parkstad education programme will do

The regional programme in Parkstad is being offered to amateur football clubs that want to participate. Sessions will bring young people together with club staff to discuss why betting appears normal in social circles and on social media, how perceived expertise affects behaviour, and practical ways to manage risk.

The offering includes:

• classroom or workshop conversations at participating amateur clubs;

• material that frames both the appeal of betting and the statistical reality of losses;

• practical prompts for coaches and volunteers to start conversations with players.

The initiative is local in scope but designed to be replicable by other clubs that want to address the issue directly with their youth squads.

How operators, clubs and regulators intersect on youth betting

The Kansspelautoriteit provided the regulatory perspective and helped frame the research questions. Roda JC used its public platform — the match on 6 February and the visible shirt numbers — to create a prompt for discussion rather than a regulatory intervention.

For clubs, the campaign clarifies a role beyond sport performance: when betting becomes a normalised part of fan culture it spills into youth environments where oversight is limited. For the regulator, the research furnishes behavioural data — age of initiation, perceived skill advantage, frequency of silence about losses — that can inform future prevention and education work. Readers interested in the regulatory angle should consult the authority’s ongoing work on gambling awareness and prevention in the Netherlands.

What to watch next and how the message is framed

Roda JC and the Kansspelautoriteit position the campaign as a conversation starter called Wat kost je winst? The match‑day ‘min‑rugnummer’ is explicitly a signpost to raise questions about short‑term winnings and longer‑term costs. The campaign materials stress that winning and losing are part of sport, but they also highlight the €118 per month average loss figure and the frequency of early initiation into betting — concrete facts the campaign uses to prompt discussion.

Clubs elsewhere may look at the Parkstad programme as a template for local engagement. The campaign deliberately avoids calls for prohibitions, focusing instead on awareness, peer discussion and targeted education within amateur football networks.

For immediate reading on the campaign and local activity, Roda JC has published details of the initiative and the accompanying educational offer in regional communications. The Kansspelautoriteit contributed the survey and the behavioural data that underpin the message.

Where this matters for industry readers

Sports rights holders, youth programme managers and platform operators should note the combination of three dynamics: early initiation into betting (4 in 10 before 18), a high acceptance rate among young male fans (50%) and measurable financial loss for online gamblers (€118/month). Each of those is a point where clubs, regulators and industry can shape interventions or prevention programmes.

Operators and platform vendors can expect more public‑facing educational efforts and possibly more research funded by regulators or rights holders. Clubs with youth pathways have a direct line to influence behaviour at the point where sporting interest, peer pressure and accessible betting converge.

The Roda JC–Kansspelautoriteit campaign demonstrates a non‑regulatory approach to the problem: public signalling, education in football communities, and data‑led messages aimed at reducing silence about losses and the normalisation of betting among young fans. For coverage of regulatory responses and prevention programmes, see the authority’s updates in the regulation section and the campaign announcements in news.