In the Netherlands, the illegal online gambling segment has overtaken the legal market, according to the 2025 annual report from the Gambling Authority Kansspelautoriteit (KSA).
The report highlights several key figures:
Market size and segment share
- €4.3bn – total legal gambling market (YoY unchanged)
- €617m (KSA estimate) and €600m – illegal and legal online segments in H1 2025
- 51% – 49% – share of the legal segment in GGR from end of 2024 to early 2025 ~94% – share of players using only licensed operators
Operator fines in 2025
- €8.6m – 5 fines for licensed operators for player protection breaches (vs €800k / 2 fines in 2024)
- €31.2m – 4 fines for illegal operators (vs €4.1m in 2024), including penalties based on estimated GGR using a new Google search-based methodology
- 10% – legal cap on fines as a percentage of global GGR, with discussions ongoing to increase it
Self-exclusion register (Cruks)
- ~85k -109k — registered users in one year
- 380 – forced registrations initiated by operators (vs 97 in 2024)
- 17%-29% and 41%- 50% – awareness growth of the Gokstop campaign among frequent and problem gamblers
Sports sponsorship ban
- From 1 July 2025 – full ban on sports sponsorship by online operators
- No major violations recorded after implementation
“Disconnect” enforcement programme (launched 2025)
- 4 focus areas – marketing, B2B, payments, internet
- Since August 2025, almost no illegal casino ads on Google (KSA claim)
- 50,000+ illegal ads monthly on social media, 800 complaints (vs 219 in 2024)
- 4 influencers sanctioned over illegal gambling promotion
- Cooperation with .nl registry blocked access to part of illegal affiliate infrastructure
Regulator finances
- €11.1m – annual result
- €20.3m – collected regulatory fees vs €27.7m planned
- Decline linked to tighter limits and higher gambling tax.
KSA noted that stricter player protection rules may have contributed to some migration toward illegal operators and a decline in the legal GGR share.
The regulator continues to expand enforcement via its “Disconnect” programme and is discussing higher penalty limits above 10% of global GGR with the Ministry of Justice.
