Dutch gambling market advances in channeling while youth risks persist

By Miguel Sandoval, Corresponsal de regulación.

The regulated gambling market in the Netherlands increased its share in the first half of 2026, the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) reported. The KSA estimates that licensed operators accounted for 59% of total market gross gaming revenue (GGR) in H1 2026, up from 54% in H2 2025; the authority published its market overview on 29 October 2026.

Progress in channeling but aggregate figures fell

The higher share of GGR going to licensed operators indicates that more gambling spend is concentrated in the regulated sector. GGR measures the difference between stakes and prizes paid and therefore reflects financial activity in the market rather than a simple count of users.

However, the total market contracted year on year: Dutch GGR was about €4.1 billion in 2025, down from €4.5 billion in 2024. Within that trend, online casino GGR fell by 18.2% and online sports betting by 30.2%. The KSA attributes part of that contraction to strengthened player protection requirements introduced at the end of 2024 and higher taxes applied from January 2025.

The licensed online market showed signs of recovery in H1 2026: its GGR reached about €670 million, an increase of around 11% from the €602 million recorded in H2 2025. The KSA also estimates that roughly 94% of people who gamble do so exclusively with legal operators, although the income-based channeling figure remains materially lower.

Active accounts rise; number of individual players does not

Licensed operators recorded an average of about 1.48 million active accounts per month in the first half of 2026, up from 1.38 million accounts in the second half of 2025. The KSA did not detect a comparable increase in estimated individual players: the monthly average was about 490,000 people in H1 2026, and roughly 820,000 individuals participated at least once during the six-month period.

The authority says the gap between accounts and individual participants may be due to users holding multiple accounts, a phenomenon that may have intensified after the introduction of deposit limits. The KSA adds that the men's FIFA World Cup, which began in June 2026, likely contributed to the rise in registrations and activity.

In terms of losses, the KSA reported an average of €75 in monthly losses per active account in H1 2026. Among young adults aged 18 to 23, the figure per account was €34. The estimated average loss per individual participant was €137 per month in H1 2026, versus €121 in H2 2025, an increase of about 13%. The KSA warns this individual estimate is based on statistical methods rather than direct measurement of each player.

Disproportionate youth participation and registration pattern around 18

The presence of young adults in active accounts remains a primary concern. The KSA calculates that consumers aged 18 to 23 made up nearly 22% of licensed active accounts in H1 2026, despite comprising only about 9.2% of the adult population in the country.

Further KSA analysis published on 20 August 2026 examined 16,266 accounts opened between 1 and 7 May 2025; after excluding accounts with no bets in May, the analysis covered 15,761 accounts. Approximately 33% of the accounts analysed belonged to consumers aged 18 to 24, and within that segment 41% were 18-year-olds (18 years).

Reviewing registrations from 2024 and 2025, the KSA found that about 11% of accounts opened by 18-year-olds were registered on their eighteenth birthday, and nearly 38% were created within one month of that birthday.

Gambling-related harm, treatment and Cruks

In 2025, 3,108 people received specialised treatment for gambling disorder when gambling was the primary problem, an increase of more than 14% from the 2,708 people recorded in 2024. These figures refer to care in specialised addiction institutions and do not represent the total number of people with gambling-related difficulties.

The KSA's 2026 population study estimated that about 65% of online players participate without problematic indicators, unchanged from the previous year, and that the share classified as high risk remained around 9%.

The national exclusion register, known as Cruks (Central Register for Exclusion from Gambling), continued to grow: at 31 July 2026 there were about 120,200 people enrolled. The system allows self-exclusion for stipulated periods and includes procedures for involuntary registration where player protection reasons exist. In H1 2026 the KSA recorded 746 involuntary registration requests and notifications, versus 442 in the previous semester; the increase was especially associated with notifications from licensed operators.

Advertising and regulatory and legal intervention

The KSA said online advertisements published by licensed online operators fell by about 33% in H1 2026: the monthly average dropped from around 75,000 impressions per month in H2 2025 to approximately 50,000 in H1 2026. This measurement refers to online advertising by licensed providers, not to all gambling ads on the internet.

In June 2026 the Dutch Government announced a package of proposals that includes a ban on online gambling advertising, restrictions on bonuses and wider deposit limits, as well as measures to strengthen the response to illegal gambling and to reinforce the Cruks system; the KSA stresses these are proposals that must be developed into legislation.

On 28 September 2026 VNLOK, the trade association of licensed online gambling providers in the Netherlands, said it had formally sued Meta in the Amsterdam District Court. VNLOK asserts that ads promoting unlicensed gambling services continue to reach consumers via Facebook and Instagram and claims that more than 90% of ads analysed in its study were linked to operators without a Dutch licence. In its August 2026 assessment VNLOK reported that 96.5% of high-reach ads examined in May came from unlicensed providers and 93.7% in June; it added that Meta removed 11% of the ads identified in May and 15% in June. VNLOK asks the court to verify Meta's compliance with the EU Digital Services Act and to order measures to prevent that advertising reaching Dutch consumers. The figures come from VNLOK's own monitoring and form part of an ongoing legal proceeding.

Final observations from the regulator

The KSA concludes that improved channeling of revenue to licensed operators does not remove player-protection challenges: the gap between accounts and individual players, the high representation of young people in active accounts and the rise in people receiving treatment and in Cruks are facts the authority presents as reasons to maintain regulatory attention. The Government and industry have initiated regulatory and legal steps to address illegal advertising and financial protection, but the government's June 2026 proposals still need to become law.