Netherlands Weighs Tougher iGaming Rules on Ads and Deposit Limits

The Netherlands is weighing further restrictions for the regulated iGaming market, with the debate focused on advertising, player acquisition, deposit limits and player protection. The discussion comes against a difficult market backdrop: Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch gambling authority, says growth in the legal online market has stalled while illegal operators continue to capture a large share of gambling spend.

The regulated Dutch online gambling market opened on October 1, 2021, after the Remote Gambling Act created a legal framework for online games of chance. Since then, licensed operators have faced growing pressure over how they advertise and acquire players.

A major advertising restriction is already in place. On July 1, 2023, the Netherlands banned untargeted advertising for online games of chance, covering TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, outdoor advertising and ads in publicly accessible places. Online advertising, direct mailing, on-demand TV, social media and in-game advertising remain permitted, but only under strict conditions.

Player protection remains the central argument for further controls. In a monitoring report, KSA said 18- to 24-year-olds accounted for 22% of used gambling accounts in the second half of 2025, despite making up 9.3% of the adult population. Stricter deposit rules would likely put more pressure on operators to detect risky play earlier.

The latest market figures show why the discussion is sensitive for licensed operators. KSA reported online gross gaming revenue, or BSR, of €602 million in H2 2025, almost flat compared with the previous six months and down about 18% from 2024.

The harder issue is channelisation. KSA said around 91% of Dutch online gamblers play only with legal operators, but the legal market’s share of gambling spend was much lower at 53%. That means illegal operators may be capturing nearly half of online gambling BSR in the Netherlands.

KSA chair Michel Groothuizen has warned that legal gambling must remain visible to players while illegal operators are tackled more effectively. In his April 2026 market commentary, he said an overarching play limit could help prevent players from moving between legal operators to avoid deposit checks, but would not stop those who switch to illegal sites.

Cruks, the national self-exclusion register, is already a core part of the Dutch player protection system. Licensed online operators, arcades and Holland Casino must check whether a player is registered before allowing them to gamble.

KSA’s illegal-market strategy also targets parties that enable or promote unlicensed gambling, including affiliates, influencers, payment service providers, internet providers, social media platforms and hosting companies. For the Dutch market, the next regulatory phase will test whether stronger player protection can coexist with a legal offer visible enough to keep players away from offshore sites.