Recent data from the Netherlands’ Gambling Authority (KSA) reveals that newly enforced player protection measures, including stricter deposit caps and required affordability assessments, have resulted in a 31% reduction in average player losses.
The findings come from a follow-up evaluation of the regulatory changes implemented in the latter half of 2024, aimed at minimizing gambling-related harm. One major policy introduced by the Ministry of Justice and Security requires players to interact directly with licensed operators before they can set a monthly deposit limit above €150 for those aged 18-24, or €350 for those 24 and older. This measure, intended to increase financial awareness, has significantly reduced the number of players opting for high deposit limits, now less than half the previous level.
Additionally, operators are now obligated to conduct affordability checks if players attempt to deposit over €300 (for younger users) or €700 (for older ones) in a month. If the check fails or is not performed, further deposits are blocked for the remainder of the month.
These measures have effectively lowered the number of players exceeding these thresholds. Among all users, the rate dropped from 3.8% to 2.2%, while among young adults, it declined from 2.8% to 1.9%. Compared to the pre-regulation period, the improvement is even more significant, falling from 9.7% to 2.2% overall, and from 12% to 1.9% for young users.
The average monthly net loss per player also decreased, from €116 to €80, marking a 31% decline. Notably, the average number of gambling accounts per player (2.4) remained unchanged, suggesting users are not bypassing the limits by opening multiple accounts with different operators.
However, these protective rules have coincided with an 8% year-on-year drop in gross gaming revenue (GGR) among legal operators. The share of players losing over €1,000 per month also fell sharply, from 4% to 1%.
Despite these positive trends, the KSA acknowledged a potential downside: some high-spending players may have turned to unregulated gambling platforms. While the regulator reported that the channelisation rate remains strong at 93%, early indicators, such as increased search traffic to the top 100 unlicensed gambling sites, suggest a possible rise in interest in the illegal market.
Additional restrictions could be introduced soon. Renske Fikkers, head of market supervision at the KSA, recently expressed concern that the gambling industry has fallen short of expectations, pointing to poor compliance and ongoing violations in advertising practices.
