Dutch legislators call for tougher measures against illegal gambling
The Dutch House of Representatives’ Gambling Committee has called for mechanisms to allow illegal gambling websites to be blocked more rapidly.
The Netherlands.- Dutch lawmakers have called for swifter and tougher action against illegal gambling operators after discussing concern over the black market and the effectiveness of current regulation. In its latest meeting, the House of Representatives’ Gambling Committee took a broadly united front on the need to strengthen measures, with legislators from parties including ChristenUnie, PRO and SGP urging the government to introduce mechanisms allowing illegal gambling websites to be blocked more rapidly, similar to procedures used against terrorist and child abuse content online.
The meeting examined a range of issues, including illegal gambling, advertising practices and whether the legal gambling age should remain at 18. The discussion drew on research reports, industry activity updates and an April 2026 letter from Justice State Secretary Claudia van Bruggen, which assessed gambling-related risks and noted the gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit’s (KSA) estimate that channelisation had fallen below 50 per cent.
Van Bruggen told lawmakers that the cabinet is preparing legislation that would introduce DNS blocking for illegal gambling websites, with a public consultation expected in early 2027. Work is also underway to tackle the presence of illegal gambling advertising on social media platforms, an issue that has already prompted a complaint to the European Commission against Meta.
Van Bruggen said the government would receive reports every six months on illegal gambling advertising appearing on platforms like Facebook and Google. She also argued that the issue should be addressed at a European level through the Digital Services Act. Meanwhile, VVD representatives called on ministers to adopt a “harder stance” towards major technology companies.
The debate also revisited the long-running question of whether the Dutch gambling age should be raised from 18 to 21 like in neighbouring Belgium. Among those advocating for the increase were SGP MP Diederik van Dijk and CDA representative Tijs van den Brink. Van Bruggen cautioned that more evidence was needed before making such a change, warning that a higher age threshold could unintentionally drive younger adults towards unlicensed websites. She said the issue would continue to be examined in future progress reports.
