Gambling in the Netherlands: Legal Status, Regulations & Online Options
However, this is subject to the condition that the underlying sporting contest be organised under the auspices of a recognised (inter)national sports organisation. Until such time when esports governance reaches this stage, licensed operators must refrain from offering bets on such competitions. A wave of new rules, rising taxes, and controversial legal battles is reshaping how – and where – Europeans gamble online. 2025’s new laws in the EU bring sharper limits and higher costs for operators and players, as some countries target loopholes while others work up enforcement. Following submission, compliance audits validate game fairness, system security, and adherence to responsible gambling measures. Before proceeding, the KSA may request additional clarifications or impose further compliance checks.
In addition, the NGA will only process an application once the non-refundable licence handling fee of €48,000 is paid (either via bank transfer or iDEAL). All policies and/or documents uploaded in the Application Portal must be written in Dutch or translated into Dutch. Exceptions to this requirement are ICT-related documents, contracts with third parties, audit reports and certifications. A remote gambling licence application is submitted via a digital portal of the NGA specifically developed for that purpose (“Application Portal”).
- Violations by licensees have been related to advertising restrictions, the control database (data vault) and AML.
- Payment instruments can – in principle – be used if those instruments have been issued by a bank, payment institution or EMI that is licensed in accordance with EU regulations.
- Furthermore, operators are not permitted to offer lottery services remotely on the basis of a remote gambling licence.
- For example, an instant withdrawal casino generally provides more flexibility with higher deposit and betting limits, a greater variety of games, and modern payment options like e-wallets and cryptocurrencies.
- This new legislation aimed to bring online gambling under official regulation, ensuring player protection and responsible gaming practices.
Requirements
To prevent and combat these problems, businesses must have licences to provide games of chance. The Dutch government has implemented Centraal Register Uitsluiting Kansspelen (Cruks), a self-exclusion system where players can voluntarily block themselves from gambling platforms. But how many people actually use this, and does it make a real difference? Licensed casinos are required to check this registry before allowing a player to gamble. In addition, they must offer clear guidance on the risks of gambling and intervene if a player shows signs of problematic behavior.
Why the European iGaming Market Changes
The new Enforcement Policy Rules and Fining Policy Rules have been in force since 1 October 2021, specifically in relation to unlicensed operators. In early 2025, the Dutch Ministry of Justice introduced a stringent policy for online gambling. There will also be a default ban on gambling ads unless operators meet higher standards. The KSA is the driving force behind gambling regulation in the Netherlands, ensuring operators follow the law and maintain high standards of integrity. It oversees licensing, enforces compliance, and keeps a close watch on responsible gambling measures, advertising rules, and AML policies.
The Netherlands has significantly tightened control over gambling advertising
There are no penalties which are specifically targeted towards directors/others in key positions at licence holders. The outcome of the initial evaluations is that state ownership of these companies is not necessarily required. Consequently, future options for both companies (including privatisation) were to be explored, and the outcome of the assessment discussed with the House of Representatives. However, further information on the next steps has not been published since December 2023.
Technical Implementation Requirements for Responsible Gambling Tools
From the first licences in 2021 to today’s diverse mix of operators, the system has created a safer and more transparent environment for players. The Dutch gambling market may face challenges in the short term as operators and players adapt to the new rules and tax increases. Smaller operators might struggle to keep up, leading to some consolidation in the industry. The Netherlands’ online gambling market is currently experiencing major changes due to new regulations aimed at protecting players. The register contains all legal operators by company name, website, app and license number.
A New Framework for Gambling
For cafés and restaurants that target those over 18, these licences are usually valid for between one and five years. Different premises licensing regimes apply for gaming arcades at the local level (with licensing periods of between one and 15 years, and in ever decreasing numbers, indefinite licences). In December 2023, the NGA amended the information requirements for the reliability assessment – for licence holders and licence applicants. The amendments were designed to reduce the administrative burden for applicants and licence holders, especially when it involves those which belong to a large corporate structure. Although the amendments did help, the reliability assessment remains a labour-intensive process.
- This market is overseen by the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), which enforces stringent compliance requirements.
- The most important starting principle of the new vision is to protect all citizens from the risks of negative effects from games of chance, such as addiction or debt.
- The unions fear that operators, facing financial pressure from higher taxes, may resort to mass layoffs or cut employee benefits to maintain profitability.
The licence awarded by the NGA will enable it to exert jurisdiction over licensees who choose to have (parts of) the game system outside the Netherlands. Land-based gambling is taxed at a rate of 30.5%, but the tax bases differ across the existing offer. The relevant tax base for slot machines is Gross Gaming Revenue (“GGR”), whilst for charity lotteries the value of the prize is the relevant tax base. Where tax is based upon the prize, it is only paid on prizes above a threshold of €449. The NGA has a six-month period in which to assess a remote gambling licence application, with the possibility of extending this period for another six months.
Their main concerns concern potential job losses and reduced worker benefits. Do you have a press release or news story relevant to the Dutch gambling community? By August 2023, 48,000 individuals had registered with the Central Register for Exclusion of Gambling (Cruks), a 44% increase in less than a year. Because people who find these sources of info don’t stumble across them, they usually want to gamble.
With this ban, the Dutch government wants to limit the temptation of consumers to take part in high-risk gambling. The Dutch ban on untargeted online gambling advertising therefore has a significant impact on the advertising strategies of companies in this sector. Well, however, the advertisers can still market their services as usual if they meet the three conditions below. The aim is to reduce the exposure of young people and other vulnerable people to potentially harmful gambling advertising.
All licensed operators are subject to an “active duty of care” to prevent gambling addiction. Furthermore, remote gambling licence holders are required to have at least one addiction prevention representative for the Dutch market. According to the Remote Gambling Decree (RGD), the representative does not need to be a resident of – nor be established in – the Netherlands. Instead, the representative must be sufficiently present in the Netherlands to carry out their duties. After the opening of the market, the NGA has intensified its enforcement against affiliates promoting locally unlicensed offers.
The existing 14 casinos within the Netherlands are all operated by the state-owned Holland Casino. A similar levy applies to lotteries (both incidental and non-incidental) with GGR above EUR1 million. The levy is applied progressively, in four brackets, on the basis of the lottery’s GGR. These changes, concerning RG requirements and AML requirements, are discussed in the dedicated sections 7.3 and 8.3 Recent or Forthcoming Changes. The BGA and the Betting and Gambling Tax Act (BGTA) are the primary laws that specifically regulate gambling in the Netherlands.
The transition period for sponsorship of TV programs and events lasts until July 1, 2024. Local and non-local entities that offer, promote or facilitate unlicensed games of chance in the Netherlands violate the BGA. The NGA is able to subject such entities to various enforcement measures (see question 4.2). In addition, those who knowingly participate in unlicensed games of chance could be subject to enforcement measures, but this has not arisen in practice. Article 3 BGA does not specify a particular form of gambling but establishes that a non-incidental game of chance offered under this provision must serve the general interest, on a non-profit basis.
The thorough review process includes independent audits to verify software integrity, fraud prevention mechanisms, and adherence to Dutch consumer protection laws. Nonetheless, access to one of the world’s top eight sports betting markets can be challenging. The KSA has taken a more assertive stance in recent years, particularly on advertising and responsible gaming policies.
Once you have done this, ensure that your consent management tool adapts to your specific targeting and displays the appropriate cookie banner or privacy notice for the appropriate age group. The growing pressure on operators in terms of regulation has led the industry to defend itself, while also warning how Weerwind’s plans could lead to gambling being seen in a bad light. Boswijk’s aim with the motion, as reported by Casino Nieuws, is to protect young people and vulnerable groups. Boswijk’s motion was also signed by fellow Dutch politicians Diederik van Dijk, Nicolien van Vroonhoven, Michiel van Nispen and Mirjam Bikker. Despite these constraints, the Dutch market remains an attractive prospect for operators willing to take the plunge. The population of over 17 million boasts a high internet penetration rate, and consumers are increasingly embracing digital gaming experiences.
The former applies to the land-based operators, whereas the latter applies to remote gambling operators. Operators with an unlicensed presence that submit their licence application after 31 March 2022 cannot make use of this exception to the default position. As such, the applications of operators with a (previous) presence on the Dutch market submitted after 31 March 2022 will – in principle – be rejected. The reliability of these operators will not be considered “beyond any doubt”. Some notable policy topics are the complete advertisement ban, prohibition on online slots, and cross-operator limits (also mentioned in 1.1 Current Outlook and Recent Changes).
Charity lotteries may be offered online, without having an offline offer, but they are not regulated as remote gambling. Licensed operators are permitted to offer various forms of remote gambling, as per the four categories explained in 4.4 Types of Licences. This section addresses how the regulatory regime shapes gambling offers pursuant to different product verticals. On July 1, 2023, certain restrictions on gambling advertising came into force.
The regulator reported that nearly all gambling commercials disappeared from public view almost overnight. However, a few isolated cases of violations were detected, such as club stores selling merchandise featuring gambling logos. The KSA issued warnings in those cases and may impose hefty fines on future violations. Consentmanager is a CMP (Consent Management Provider) registered with the IAB with CMP ID 31 on the domain consentmanager.mgr.consensu.org. We provide services to obtain consent from your website visitors and provide this information to your advertisers and other partners. With CMPs like consentmanager you can easily activate the age verification function in your cookie banner in your settings area.
Passive investors may need to be disclosed to the NGA during licence application or thereafter. For remote gambling licences and land-based licence holders, different thresholds apply. Notification requirements also depend on the specific rights passive investors obtain in relation to their investment (eg profit-sharing or interest). For all readily available licences (except remote games of chance), the watershed period for gambling advertisements on television and radio is between 6am and 9pm.
The authorities also seek to prevent crimes such as money laundering through illegal gambling operations. For this reason games of chance must be licensed by the Kansspelautoriteit or the municipality. The Kansspelautoriteit checks that licensed gaming providers are following the rules, and deals with illegal providers. In February 2024, a land-based gambling operator successfully challenged the licensing regimes for the instant lottery, the lotto, and land-based sports betting before a District Court. The District Court concluded that the nature of the three semi-permanent licensing regimes constituted an unjustified restriction of the freedom to provide services. Restrictions to the freedom to provide services can be justified, but one of the criteria is that the national policy in that regard has to be “horizontally consistent” and “proportionate”.
Online gambling measures to make players more aware while they are gambling have been in force since 1 October. From now on, for example, a monthly deposit limit of no more than €350 will apply to new adult gamblers and no more than €150 for young adult gamblers aged up to 24 years old. If a player wants to set a higher limit, they will only be able to do so after they have had personal contact with the gambling provider. While they have contact the gaming provider is obliged to make the player aware of the consequences and risks of setting a high spending limit and the risk of losing this amount of money. The provider is also obliged to draw the player’s attention to the availability of help and support and the possibility of a gamstop via the Cruks exclusion register.
Operators must strike a balance between informing players and avoiding harmful promotion. Advertisements for land-based gambling businesses will still be permitted, but they must be for land-based products and services only. There must be no link to any online services even if the gambling operator runs both land-based and online businesses. In the long run, the market is expected to grow more steadily, with responsible gambling becoming a core focus as the industry matures. On October 1, 2024, the Dutch government introduced a new set of regulations to safeguard online gamblers. These measures are a significant step towards creating a hopefully much safer gambling environment in the Netherlands.
The Ministry of Justice and Security is responsible for setting the legal framework governing gambling in the Netherlands. In addition to overseeing compliance, the Ministry plays a central role in combating illegal gambling operations and ensuring public safety within the sector. It is too early to tell whether this will prove to be a longer-term enforcement strategy, and whether a similar strategy will be applied to other B2B service providers. One of the relatively new enforcement measures for the NGA is the binding instruction. Binding instructions allow the NGA to demand that entities cease certain activities, including providing payment or advertising services to locally unlicensed operators. Following an amendment to the remote gambling bill in 2016, this binding instruction cannot be used against ISPs.
These lotteries are operated under the Nederlandse Loterij and remain a cornerstone of the regulated gambling system. Gambling industry journalist with a background in online poker and trading. Covering the regulated U.S Sports industry and the exciting world of online poker. For example, Holland Casino, the state-owned gambling operator, has taken a hard stand against the hike. They argue that a significant increase like this could severely impact their operations and profitability.
Single licences exist in the field of horse-race betting, sports betting, the instant lottery, and the Lotto. The Lotto is a game in which participants predict a given number of symbols from a predefined range and, subsequently, a draw is made. The instant lottery is offered in the form of scratch cards (krasloten), whereby prizes are allocated to tickets before sales commence. An unlimited number of licences are also available for charity lotteries; however, these licences are subject to conditions, including a prohibition on generating private profits.
Advertising remote gambling on television and radio is prohibited given the ban on untargeted advertising (see below). Remote gambling licences obtained overseas are not, and will not be, recognised in the Netherlands. Locally unlicensed gambling offers available to Dutch customers remain illegal even if the operator in question is licensed abroad. The Dutch Supreme Court, in its 2005 Ladbrokes decision, adopted a very low threshold for a gambling offer to be considered “available in the Netherlands”.
The obligation to be licensed only falls upon business-to-consumer (“B2C”) operators, there is no business-to-business (“B2B”) licensing requirement for intermediaries, such as software providers. In contrast to other jurisdictions, individual personnel are not required to hold their own licence (personal management licence). On 1 April 2021, the Remote Gambling Act (Wet kansspelen op afstand) entered into force, which enabled the licensing of remote games of chance.
It is important for companies offering online gambling platforms to understand the new regulations and adjust their online privacy practices accordingly. In 2021, Bikker and Van Nispen tabled the motion that led to the current ban on untargeted advertising. That law change, and this fresh motion to go even further, is another indicator of the Netherlands government’s plans to clamp down on gambling advertising. A significant application fee is required regardless of whether you are granted a license.
Denitsa Lyutskanova is the Head of Content at iGaming.com and a passionate advocate for Safer Gambling. With over a decade of experience in digital marketing, she has been with the company since 2011, working across 20+ markets. Denitsa leads a growing team of 30+ talented content writers and editors, driving impactful content strategies while promoting responsible gaming practices. Since the above forms of advertising are still permitted, certain rules must be followed in order for companies to be able to use these formats. There will be a vote in the house of representatives on the motion on Tuesday.
At the same time, fantasy sports betting is only allowed if it is based on (elements from) sporting contests that place wager fit the definition of a sporting contest. Furthermore, the underlying sporting contests must be organised in accordance with the safeguards against match fixing. This means that advertising on TV and radio and in newspapers and magazines is prohibited as of July 1. Advertising in public places, such as billboards and bus shelters, and in buildings accessible to the public, such as gaming casinos, amusement arcades, cinemas and pubs, is also not allowed.
