Netherlands Rejects Total Ban on Gaming Advertising; Belgium Continues Debate

The Tweede Kamer of the Netherlands rejected a motion on Tuesday, September 29, calling for a total ban on advertising all forms of gambling, both online and in physical locations. The proposal did not reach the necessary majority: it garnered 64 votes, twelve fewer than required; however, the Chamber did approve stricter measures against illegal offerings and supported a conditioned path to raise the minimum age to 21 years. These decisions do not alter the Belgian legislation, but they reopen a debate that is already taking place in Belgium.

The Voting in the Dutch Lower House and Its Results

The text presented in the Tweede Kamer advocated for a single framework for advertising: no advertisements for online gambling or for gambling in physical venues. The representative of the SGP Party, Diederik van Dijk, pushed for the motion to prevent operators from redistributing their advertising spend towards products that would fall outside a partial ban. The initiative was defeated after the vote on September 29, the official minutes of which confirm the outcome.

The Chamber also rejected another motion related to the total withdrawal of the State from the offering of games that would have affected Holland Casino and Nederlandse Loterij; that proposal also did not gain majority support. However, the representatives approved a package of measures that directly targets illegal activities online and calls for stricter controls on platforms allowing illicit advertisements.

Condition for Raising the Minimum Age to 21 Years and Its Link to Illegal Offerings

A different motion, presented by Diederik van Dijk and Mirjam Bikker, was supported by the Tweede Kamer. This requests clear and verifiable objectives to combat illegal offerings and the phenomenon of user displacement. Only once effectiveness in these measures has been demonstrated should the minimum age for high-risk games be raised to 21 years.

The resolution does not impose an immediate raise in the age; it constitutes a mandate for the Dutch government to set conditions and verifiable goals before implementing the age change. The document expressly links progress in player protection to effectiveness in containing illegal operators.

What Belgium Is Doing and How It Differs from the Dutch Debate

Since July 2023, Belgium has applied a principle of advertising prohibition for private gambling operators, with exceptions and transitional rules. For private games and betting, the country raised the minimum age from September 1, 2024. The Nationale Loterij (Nationale Loterij) and its lottery and scratch card products are regulated under a separate legal framework, with different age limits.

The High Council for Health of Belgium (Hoge Gezondheidsraad) recommended a ban on all forms of gambling advertising and setting the minimum age at 21 years in its advice; this opinion remains a recommendation and does not replace the text of current law.

Tools and Actions Against Illegal Advertising and Digital Infrastructure

The Tweede Kamer supported measures to penalize platforms that continue to display illegal gambling advertisements after withdrawal requests. It also approved the creation of a centralized list of illegal operators and the execution of tests to disrupt the digital infrastructure used by offenders. These measures are political mandates: their technical and legal implementation is pending development by the Executive and regulators.

In the Netherlands, the competent authority is the Kansspelautoriteit; the representatives called for studying the use of the open risk model developed by the University of Amsterdam to enhance supervision.

In Belgium, the issue of persistent illegal advertisements has already reached the authorities: the Kansspelcommissie reported thousands of communications to platforms like Meta. In 2025, more than 8,500 notifications were registered requesting the removal of advertisements; this volume does not imply that all pieces have been permanently eliminated.

Distinction Between Restrictions for Licensed Operators and Action Against Illegal Campaigns

Dutch parliamentarians made it clear that limiting advertising for licensed operators and pursuing illegal campaigns are distinct tasks. Regulatory tightening for licensed companies does not exempt the need to pursue illicit advertising, and vice versa. The political discussion focuses on which set of measures brings demonstrable results.

The debates in both countries highlight the issue of displacement: the concern that stricter restrictions push players toward unregulated offerings is recurring. This concern is part of the questions that must be answered by the motion that conditions raising the age to 21 years.

Practical Implications for Regulators and Operators in Belgium and the Netherlands

For Belgian authorities, the Dutch experience underscores the need to evaluate how stricter rules work in practice: which profiles of players are protected, how illegal operators reach these users through channels, and which compliance measures produce measurable results. The evaluation must distinguish the decline in participation among licensed operators from the effective cessation of play by users or their migration to unlicensed sites.

Licensed operators work under different frameworks depending on the product: the Nationale Loterij maintains a separate legal treatment compared to private operators. In both countries, political pressure on digital platforms and technical infrastructure—DNS blocking, centralized lists, sanctions—grows.

What's Next on the Political Agenda

The package resulting from the vote combined rejected motions, conditioned measures, and new tasks to curb illegal offerings. The Dutch government must now detail how it will comply with the mandates approved by the Chamber and establish the criteria that would allow raising the minimum age to 21 years. In Belgium, the focus remains on implementing and evaluating the rules approved from 2023 and 2024.

Miguel Sandoval, Regulatory Correspondent, will continue to cover legislative and supervisory steps in both the Netherlands and Belgium. For more analysis on regulatory changes, consult our coverage in regulation and updates in news.