By: Adrian Kingsley
(AsiaGameHub) – The Dutch government has laid out a five-year plan to cut gambling-related harm. Online gambling ads face a near-total ban. Deposit limits and illegal operators sit in the same reform package. State secretary Claudia van Bruggen set out the plan in a 16-page letter. This follows earlier coalition plans from February. The three-party government compared gambling ads with sex work. Player protection now needs a broader policy. Single rule changes are no longer enough. Preventing gambling damage requires a long-term commitment. This is a strategic goal for achieving a reduction in gambling loss. The principles concern the entire gambling policy.
A central deposit limit for online gambling now sits near the top of the plan. Players who want to bet above that level could face an affordability check. Younger adults could receive lower limits to reduce financial risk. KSA data from April 2026 helped shape the plan. The regulator found that October 2024 deposit rules had already reduced problematic gambling behaviour. Dutch operators must act when young adults aged 18 to 24 pass €300 in net deposits. The threshold for older players stands at €700. Finland has taken a related path. State-owned Veikkaus recently added deposit limits for players under 25. Dutch policymakers now appear to favor similar age-based protection. Van Bruggen rejected an earlier plan to raise the minimum age to 21. KSA had warned that such a step could send young adults toward offshore gambling sites. Instead, the agenda points to stricter age checks. Prevention programmes and media literacy work are aimed at showing how algorithms encourage risky play.
The plan does not stop at online casinos. Van Bruggen said land-based gambling also needs attention. Recent research described several retail gambling products as high-risk. Illegal gambling will also get more attention. The government wants to give KSA extra tools. The regulator can work with financial institutions and digital platforms. The goal is to cut off illegal operators from payments. Illegal gambling offers no protection. The risk of gambling-related harm is therefore much greater. An external expert group will advise on duty of care standards. Improvements to Cruks, the national self-exclusion register, are planned. No standard tool currently measures gambling harm across the Netherlands. The agenda cites 2025 research showing 69% of Dutch residents aged 16 and older took part in gambling. Half of people aged 16 to 17 also reported gambling. The legal gambling age is 18. The Ministry of Justice and Security will oversee the agenda. Funding will come through the Addiction Prevention Fund.
The new agenda also explores fewer online gambling licences in the Netherlands. Van Bruggen said fewer licences could offer extra protection. No licence cap has been set yet. This sets out strategic goals for achieving a reduction in gambling loss. The efforts required for this will continue in the coming years. Care access forms another part of the agenda. The government wants less stigma around gambling harm. Better visibility for support services is planned. Stronger links between addiction and social care are needed. Suicide prevention also appears as a clinical priority. The market will consolidate under stricter rules. Protection overrides growth in this new governance structure.
Author bio: Adrian Kingsley, an internationally renowned scholar who has long studied public administration and social policy. He focuses on regulatory frameworks and governance structures across European markets. His work influences legislative debates on digital safety.