State Secretary Claudia van Bruggen has presented a package of measures targeting online gambling harm in the Netherlands, including the near-elimination of advertising, a ban on bonuses, and stronger tools to combat the illegal market.
The Dutch government has today published a five-year gambling harm reduction strategy that includes a near-total ban on online gambling advertising, a prohibition on player bonuses, tighter deposit limits, and significantly expanded enforcement powers for the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Netherlands’ gambling regulator. The measures, presented by State Secretary for Justice and Security Claudia van Bruggen, will apply across both online and land-based gambling and will require parliamentary approval before taking effect.
Van Bruggen stated that the package responds to a sharp increase in both gambling participation and problem gambling rates since the Dutch online gambling market was liberalised under the Remote Gaming Act (KOA) in 2021. “I find it particularly concerning that more and more people, and especially young people, have started gambling online and are getting into trouble as a result,” she said. “It is high time to reverse this trend.”
A Near-Total Advertising Ban
The headline measure is an almost complete prohibition on gambling advertising. The Netherlands has progressively restricted gambling promotion since 2023, when untargeted advertising — including television, radio, newspapers, and billboards — was banned under the Orka Decree. From January 2024, gambling companies were prohibited from sponsoring television programmes and events. The transition period for sports sponsorship ended on July 1, 2025, at which point all forms of sports club sponsorship, including shirt sponsorship in the Eredivisie, were fully prohibited.
Despite those measures, van Bruggen’s strategy document concludes that operators exploited loopholes through targeted online and social media marketing, maintaining significant advertising reach — particularly among young adults. The new proposals would close those loopholes and prohibit virtually all forms of gambling promotion, with only narrowly defined exceptions to be specified during the legislative process. A ban on player bonuses — including free bets for new users and loyalty rewards for existing customers — accompanies the advertising restrictions.
According to the KSA’s April 2026 monitoring report, which informed the strategy, deposit limits imposed in October 2024 had already produced measurable reductions in problematic gambling behaviour, providing the government with grounds for further intervention. Research cited in the strategy found that one in five Dutch adults aged 18 to 24 had gambled online in the previous 12 months, with problem gambling rates in that cohort running at more than double the national average.
Strengthened Regulation and Enforcement
The five-year strategy also proposes a significant expansion of the KSA’s enforcement capabilities. The regulator will receive broader powers to block illegal gambling websites, suspend or revoke operator licences, and coordinate enforcement across sectors. The illegal market — which the government describes as offering no consumer protection and presenting significantly greater harm risks — is identified as a concurrent priority.
The strategy signals that the government views the current dual-edged challenge — advertising by licensed operators and the persistence of unlicensed alternatives — as requiring coordinated legislative and regulatory action rather than incremental adjustment.
Van Bruggen’s letter to parliament also contemplated restricting or banning specific high-risk game formats and features designed to accelerate play. The minimum gambling age for high-risk products will not be increased, however — a detail that will be noted by operators navigating the reforms.
Operator and Market Implications
For licensed operators in the Dutch market, the measures represent a fundamental constraint on customer acquisition and retention strategies. Advertising and bonuses are the primary tools through which sportsbooks and online casinos compete for new users in regulated markets; removing both simultaneously would force operators to compete almost entirely on product quality, user experience, and brand recognition.
The measures are expected to take effect in the first quarter of 2027, following parliamentary approval and a regulatory transition period during which the Kansspelautoriteit will publish updated compliance guidelines. The legislative timeline is subject to change, and the package will face scrutiny during parliamentary debate.
The proposals land against a backdrop of tightening regulation across European gambling markets, with several jurisdictions revisiting the terms of liberalisation decisions made earlier this decade in the light of rising harm data.