State secretary for legal protection Teun Struycken plans to present a new gambling bill this year.

The Netherlands.- The Dutch online gambling market is likely to see more reforms and restrictions as state secretary for legal protection Teun Struycken prepares to submit a new gambling bill to parliament. The measures would include a rise in the minimum age for online slots.

Struycken had previously announced that he would present a new gambling policy in March after a review of the current Remote Gambling Act found that player protection measures were insufficient. The report particularly criticised a lack of use of addiction prevention representatives, the way that spending limits function and the decision to trust operators to oversee their own duty of care. The legislation paved the way for the opening of a regulated online gambling market in October 2021.

In an update to parliament, Struycken has pledged that a bill proposing updated regulations will be finalised by the end of this year. However, the government is also exploring whether some measures, such as tightening rules for operators’ duty of care could be implemented earlier.

Headline proposals will include a rise in the minimum age for the most risky forms of gambling from 18 to 21. It’s understood that this would apply to online slot games. Neighbouring Belgium last year introduced a minimum age of 21 for all gambling except lottery.

Struycken may also propose mandatory financial tests for players who want to increase their deposit limit beyond the limits introduced by the Dutch gambling regulator, the KSA, in October. The limits are currently €300 for players aged between 18 and 24 and €700 for those aged over 24. Players must contact operators if they want to request a higher limit.

It’s expected that there will also be even tougher advertising restrictions covering digital ads. Most gambling advertising has been banned in the Netherlands since July 2023, but targeted online ads remain permitted. Finally, the government will propose more powers for KSA to enforce action against unlicensed gambling providers, including site blocking. Struycken also plans to take up the issue of illegal gambling with European legislators to push for a cross-border solution.

Teun Struycken

Struycken told the Dutch Parliament: “For me, the most important starting point is protecting all citizens from gambling-related harm. To do so, I go beyond preventing addiction and also look at other harm that participation in gambling can cause, such as debts. It is necessary to protect all people, especially those who have not yet come into contact with gambling or who have stopped gambling, and so, I focus in particular on minors and young adults.”

The KSA has already seen an impact from the new deposit limits in the Netherlands. It reported that since October, the number of players depositing more than the initial limit has fallen from 9.7 per cent to 3.8 per cent. The average loss per player account fell from €117 to €83 and GGR by 10 per cent, but the KSA recognised that players who spend more may have shifted their play to illegal providers.