Netherlands gambling statistics: participation, regulation, and industry data

The Netherlands is one of Europe's most recently regulated online gambling markets. The Remote Gambling Act (Wet Kansspelen op Afstand, KOA) took effect in October 2021, ending decades of prohibition on online casino and sports betting and establishing a licensed competitive market alongside the existing state monopoly operators. Total market GGR stood at approximately €4.3 billion in 2024, but the market is in flux: new deposit limits and tax increases are squeezing the licensed sector while the illegal market grows. The regulator is the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), with gambling research conducted by the Trimbos Institute and the WODC. For a broader view, see our statistics hub.

How many people gamble in the Netherlands?

The WODC's annual Gambling Participation Survey 2025 (conducted by Ipsos I&O, fieldwork March 2025, Trimbos Institute advisory) provides the most recent prevalence data. The 2024 survey found that approximately 10% of Dutch adults gambled online in the prior year. In 2025, the group gambling both online and at physical locations increased from 14% to 16%, while those gambling exclusively online rose from 1% to 2% (WODC, 2025). Lotteries remain by far the most popular activity: 46% of all gamblers participated only in lotteries. Excluding lottery-only players, approximately 34% of the population gambled at a physical location or online (WODC, 2024).

Problem gambling in the Netherlands

The WODC's 2024 survey, using the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), found that 87% of gamblers are non-problem gamblers, while 2% of all gamblers are in the high-risk category. However, rates are markedly higher among specific groups: 6% of 18–24-year-olds and 7% of people with non-Western migration backgrounds were classified as high-risk. Among online gamblers with their own accounts, 11% were high-risk and 10% were moderate-risk on the PGSI (WODC, 2024). The KSA's H1 2024 report estimated that 9% of all online gamblers fell into the high-risk category (KSA Autumn Report, 2024). The WODC has warned that current policies to prevent gambling addiction are "inadequate," particularly given the influx of new players since regulation (WODC, 2025).

CRUKS, the national centralised self-exclusion register, had 75,334 registrations as of June 2024, with an average of 528 new registrations per week (KSA, 2024). By early 2025, registrations exceeded 87,000 (WODC, 2025). Understanding how RTP rates work on licensed platforms highlights one of the structural differences between regulated and unregulated operators — and why channelisation matters for player protection.

Treatment and help-seeking

The WODC found that just 24% of online gamblers in 2024 had received any feedback on their gambling behaviour (e.g., pop-up messages), only 9% via chat or email, and just 4% had temporarily self-excluded. Most problem gamblers were unaware of CRUKS. Addiction treatment is available through the general healthcare system and specialised addiction care centres (verslavingszorg). The KSA funds an Addiction Prevention Fund (2022–2029) supporting research by the Trimbos Institute, Amsterdam UMC, and others, including CBT effectiveness studies and programmes targeting young adults.

Netherlands gambling regulation

The Dutch market is governed by the Betting and Gaming Act (Wet op de Kansspelen, Wok, 1964) as amended by the Remote Gambling Act (KOA, 2021). The KSA issues licences and oversees both land-based and online operations. Holland Casino holds a state monopoly on land-based casino gambling (13 venues), while the online market is open to licensed private operators — approximately 30 held remote gambling licences by 2024. Lotteries are operated by Nederlandse Loterij (state-owned, including TOTO) and charitable lotteries.

The regulatory environment is tightening rapidly: untargeted gambling advertising was banned from July 2023, per-operator deposit limits of €700/month (€300 for 18–25s) took effect in October 2024, and the gambling tax is rising from 34.2% (2025) to 37.8% (2026). The KSA can impose fines of up to €2 million or 10% of annual turnover.

Online gambling in the Netherlands

The Dutch online market, now in its fourth year of regulated operation, generated approximately €1.47 billion in GGR in 2024 (KSA, 2025). Online casino is the dominant vertical at approximately 72% of online GGR, with sports betting at around 24%. Approximately 30 operators held remote gambling licences by the end of 2024, including Holland Casino Online, TOTO Online (Nederlandse Loterij), Bet365, Tombola, GGPoker, and others. FDJ United acquired Kindred Group (Unibet) in October 2024, reshaping the competitive landscape.

The impact of the October 2024 deposit limits is visible in the data: average monthly losses per player fell from €146 (H2 2024) to €119 (H1 2025), while GGR dropped 16% half-on-half. Meanwhile, the number of active accounts rose from 1.18 million to 1.29 million, suggesting players are spreading deposits across operators (KSA, 2025). Young adults (18–24) account for 23% of all active accounts despite being just 9.3% of the adult population, though they lose substantially less on average (€37/month vs €78 for all adults).

Young people and gambling

Youth gambling is the KSA's highest-profile concern. Young adults aged 18–24 make up 23% of all online gambling accounts despite being just 9.3% of the adult population (KSA, 2025). Among young adult online gamblers with their own accounts, 18% were classified as high-risk on the PGSI — far above the 11% rate for all online gamblers (WODC, 2025). The October 2024 deposit limit for 18–25-year-olds is set at €300/month, lower than the €700 limit for older adults.

The WODC noted that 70% of those who gambled online in 2024 had only started after the market was regulated in October 2021 — meaning the licensed market has attracted a largely new cohort of gamblers. The Trimbos Institute is developing a Moti-4 programme targeting gambling problems in youth, building on its successful programmes for smoking and gaming addiction. The legal gambling age in the Netherlands is 18.

Gambling harm and support

Gambling harm in the Netherlands is increasingly recognised as a public health challenge. The WODC's finding that existing addiction prevention measures are "inadequate" has prompted policy responses, including the new government gambling vision published in February 2025 and the planned Trimbos-operated Expertise Centre on Gambling Harm. The KSA funds an Addiction Prevention Fund (2022–2029) supporting six research projects across Amsterdam UMC, the Trimbos Institute, the University of Amsterdam, and IVO.

Key support services include CRUKS (national self-exclusion, covering all licensed operators), Loket Kansspel (the KSA's information and complaints point), general addiction care through verslavingszorg organisations, and the national crisis line 113 Zelfmoordpreventie (113 suicide prevention). If you want to understand how to support someone with gambling problems, we have a dedicated guide. The KSA has warned that the planned 37.8% tax rate in 2026 risks further eroding the legal market's competitiveness and pushing players toward unlicensed operators with no consumer protections.

The Netherlands represents one of Europe's most instructive case studies in gambling market regulation, having transitioned from prohibition to a licensed online market in just over four years. The tension between consumer protection measures and channelisation — with the legal market's GGR share dropping below 50% — defines the current policy debate. As the government implements further tax increases and the KSA expands enforcement, the Dutch model continues to evolve in real time.