Dutch gambling regulator to conduct youth survey with football club
The in-depth study aims to provide data about young people’s engagement with sports betting.
The Netherlands.- The Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) and professional football organisation Roda JC Kerkrade have announced plans to conduct an in-depth study into the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of young adults regarding sports betting in the Parkstad Limburg.
The KSA initiated the study, which is being conducted in close collaboration with Roda JC as part of an existing collaboration with the club. The survey will be undertaken over the coming months, and the results will provide a basis for future joint activities to raise awareness among young adults about the risks of sports betting with the aim of contributing to its “denormalisation”.
The research will aim to find out to what extent young adults in Parkstad (and nationwide) engage in sports betting, how often and how much money they spend on it, what view they have of sports betting and what misconceptions exist.
Roda JC is currently the only professional football club in the Netherlands that has consciously declined a sponsorship deal with a sports betting provider. The club says that such sponsorship does not align with its social values and its mission to “be of value to the region every day.”
The KSA says its collaboration with the club is “therefore both unique and logical: a professional club and a regulator jointly raising awareness of a growing social issue – the visibility and normalization of sports betting in the lives of young adults”
Jordens Peters, general manager of Roda JC, said: “With this awareness campaign, we want to contribute to denormalizing sports betting. There almost seems to be a social pressure to participate, because the topic is discussed everywhere.
“That’s precisely what we want to highlight.Collaborating with the Netherlands Gambling Authority is a logical next step. The research offers valuable insights to open the conversation and develop activities that truly make a difference, in line with our role as a socially responsible club.”
KSA chairman Michel Groothuizen said: “This research will gives us a clear picture of how young adults experience sports betting – not just what they think, but also what they do. This knowledge is crucial for effective measures. Roda JC is a strong and credible partner in Parkstad, with the prospect of national scaling up”.
The study will be conducted in November and December 2025. The results are expected in early 2026 and will form the starting point for follow-up activities.
KSA’s “Interpol of Gaming” proposal
Last month, Groothuizen proposed that global regulators establish a “Gambling Interpol”. He says an international organisation is needed to coordinate global enforcement action against increasingly sophisticated unlicensed gambling operations.
Speaking at the IAGR 2025 Conference in Toronto, Groothuizen said cooperation among global gambling regulators had been “not very fruitful“ so far despite a growing recognition of the futility of domestic-level action. But he said the exchange of information about illegal parties could be an enormous help for enforcement action.
