Gambling participation, regulation of mandatory limits, advertising and research in the industry were all reported.

Arno Rutte, the new Secretary of State for legal protection of the Netherlands, presented a few new studies to the Dutch parliament this week in order to give credit to the plans of the government to reform gambling.

Amendments to gambling laws in the Netherlands are being monitored by Rutte, who introduced four reports containing player activity and on compulsory player limits to parliament on 17 December. He has recently assumed the office following the resignation of the previous minister, Teun Struycken, in August.

Struycken had promised to deliver a new gambling bill at the close of the year 2025 with harsher regulations surrounding marketing and a possible raise in the minimum age of online slots. In his letter this week, Rutte said that he was devoted to the reforms, and the new studies would assist with the change.

“An overall cap on deposits and new regulations on advertisements were also put forward to ensure that online gambling is drastically curtailed. I will take into account the findings of this research in developing the measures announced by me in terms of revising the legislation and regulations concerning remote gambling”, he said.

Consumer Endorsement of Compulsory Player Restrictions

Considering the initial report, this targeted compulsory limits on gambling as a follow-up to a study that had been conducted in 2023. The total backing of such limits out of 1,507 respondents stood at 76% two years ago, and rose to 82%.

It was derived in the report published in October that proposed rule changes, means-tested limits, as the report cited, whereby the user would have to provide financial information to request higher limits on a deposit. The action was not very popular, as 42% were concerned about privacy.

As many as 9 percent of participants who were surveyed were not willing to provide information about their savings, with 38 percent declining to provide information about their financial debts. Share of financial information is more favourable among the high-risk players (32% in favour) compared to non-problematic (18%) and low-risk (15%).

Nevertheless, most players (55) report research results that they think that by checking their financial information, in theory, they would be able to stop gambling problems.

In 2024, More Players Established Optional Limits

The umbrella deposit limit was supported by more, 58% were positive, and 67% said that this could be one of the ways to avoid getting into gambling issues. What was supported, however, was less among high-risk players.

But just 40 percent claimed that monetary limits would make them spend more time, and 30 percent said time limits would play less of a role. Conversely, 64 percent of the respondents reported that they were in control of their gambling behaviour and did not require limitations, compared to 57 percent in 2023.

The authors also reported the differences between groups in the behaviour and patterns. Players who were high and moderate-risk experienced less of a sense of being in control and were more likely to find value in limits. Non-problematic players, on the contrary, were more sure that they did not require limits than high-risk players.

The percentage of players who selected optional loss limits increased, whilst that of the least restrictive limits decreased compared to 2023. A majority, 71 percent, of players did not modify their original limits after determining them, and of those who did, 57 percent had not experienced any of their limits within the last year.

Concerning reforms in rules, the reaction to the new rules that have already been implemented was divided. Only one out of ten respondents complained about direct contact with providers or the necessity to transmit financial information. Most did not find these messages helpful, as the players claimed to have seen pop-up notices more.

Gambling Websites Are Still Dubious

The second research report before parliament includes the perception about gambling among the Dutch people. The important results of the November report were that 69 percent of the population 16 years of age and above who lived in the country had gambled at least once in the immediate past year. It was pegged on the answers of 3,366 individuals.

The overwhelming amount of gambling was lotteries, yet the number of people joining iGaming was higher than in the past years, with the majority being the younger generation. The proportion of individuals playing online has increased to 12 percent, up to 16-17, and is now at 20 percent.

The report said it was of particular concern that this latter statistic was so, with the legal age of iGaming in the Netherlands being 18. The researchers claimed that this was an indication that there was increased usage of illegal sites or accounts of other people to gamble by more young people.

There was also a question of uncertainty regarding licensed websites on the issue of legality. A quarter of all respondents did not know whether they had a licence on the websites on which they gambled.

Furthermore, half of the players said that they have never encountered information about the risks of iGaming during play. This awareness is rated as generally low, so the research suggested strengthening it by highlighting gambling dangers.

Another Opinion Regarding Gambling Advertising

The third report came out in December and provided a review of what transpired in the world of gambling advertising. In July 2023, the Netherlands enforced a gambling advertisement ban on most media, such as television, radio, and print.

This ban was further extended in July this year. It has also expanded to gambling sponsorship of sports clubs and competitions. Other provisions might also be implemented under the new, but-to-surface bill.

The study also revealed the prevalence of more players reporting continuing to see gambling advertisements on a regular basis despite the mass ban. Among the 1,026 surveyed, the majority of respondents indicated that they do not immediately start gambling as a direct result of gambling ads, but current players, particularly those who are considered moderate or high risk, were more susceptible to adverts.

Another flag comes in the form of bonuses and promotion incentives that ensure that gambling becomes attractive, particularly to gamers. Moreover, the majority of respondents claimed that warning messages in adverts are either not visible or do not work the way they are supposed to.

Worries about Research Methods

The last study came out in October and took a hard look at how researchers collect player data. Honestly, it’s not a glowing review. The team pointed out that the way things work now just isn’t good enough. There are all sorts of roadblocks, legal hurdles, technical issues, and a bunch of organisational headaches.

One big problem? Researchers just can’t get their hands on enough data. Operators only hand over certain details, and only when someone specifically asks. Even then, everyone sends their information in different formats, so trying to pull it all together and make sense of it is a nightmare.

The report also called out data protection laws, like Europe’s GDPR. Plus, since operators have to agree to share their data, everything depends on their willingness to cooperate. That’s not exactly a solid foundation.

So, what’s the fix? The report floats a few ideas. They want to see the regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), get more involved. There’s talk of building a new technical platform where data can be shared safely, maybe even a decentralised one. They’re also thinking about bringing in a new central middleman to help keep data flowing.

Rutte said they’ll factor in all these proposals and findings, along with tips from other studies, when they draw up new rules. Back in October, he handed over five more fresh gambling reports to parliament, including the KSA’s look at what happens if taxes go up. That one pushed for new rules around Dutch slot machines, which, honestly, haven’t seen an update since the year 2000. It’s about time.