Gambling in the Netherlands: new bill aims to toughen restrictions

The private members’ bill would introduce stricter protection measures including a ban on all gambling ads.

The Netherlands.- Dutch gambling regulations have already been toughened since the launch of regulated online gambling in 2021. A ban on untargeted gambling ads came into force in July 2023, and new deposit limits kicked in in October.

However, opposition MPs are now pushing to go further after the Dutch government’s review of the country’s Remote Gambling Act published earlier this month concluded that responsible gambling measures were insufficient. The report found that the current regulations had failed to create a safe and sustainable market and that players were not being sufficiently protected from harm.

The private members’ bill introduced by Michiel van Nispen, leader of the Socialist Party, and Mirjam Bikker, leader of Christen Unie, would ban all gambling advertisements. It would also introduce compulsory limits for deposits and play time for online casino and would ban all gambling using credit. The MPs also want an update to the national self-exclusion CRUKS scheme, while operators would have to pay more to gambling-related healthcare programmes.

Bikker said: “Gambling has grave consequences for all young people in the Netherlands. The gambling industry is dangerous and addictive. We need to protect our young people better, and we can’t wait. That is why we now need to intervene and present a law that protects them more.”

Van Nispen added: “We need to tighten the screws on gambling companies. The freedom of gambling companies now leads to a lot of misery for individuals and great social damage.”

However, there are already signs that operators are starting to question the viability of the Dutch regulated gambling market. LiveScore Bet and Flutter’s Tombola have announced their exits from the market since the government approved a phased increase in gambling tax starting in January 2025.