Rise in gambling treatment cases in the Netherlands
Gambling was the only category to see a significant rise in treatment demand in 2025.
The Netherlands.- It’s been reported that the Netherlands saw another significant rise in the number of people receiving treatment for gambling addiction last year. Cases climbed by 13 per cent year-on-year to 3,108, up from 2,750 in 2024.
The rise was driven almost entirely by online gambling, according to the figures. The data comes from LADIS, the national monitor of specialist addiction services, and was published by healthcare data foundation IVZ.
Gambling was the only addiction category to see a notable increase in treatment demand. In total, specialist services reporting to the monitor treated close to 68,000 people for addiction in 2025, which is almost unchanged from the previous year. Alcohol remained the most common primary addiction, accounting for 43 per cent of cases and rising to 60 per cent among those aged over 55. Cannabis was the leading issue among under‑25s.
Nearly half of those seeking help for gambling were first-time patients, suggesting an increase in new individuals developing gambling problems rather than existing patients relapsing.
The uptick continues a trend that began in 2023, following several years of decline between 2019 and 2022. While more clinics have joined the LADIS system, this alone does not account for the rise. The report clarifies that an increase was evident among providers consistently reporting since 2016.
The LADIS data only covers those in specialist treatment and not the wider population. Also, not all providers report to LADIS.
Online gambling has been regulated in the Netherlands since October 2021. The market’s initial months led to complaints about a saturation of gambling ads. However, regulations have since been tightened significantly, with the introduction of a ban on non-targeted gambling ads in 2023 and a ban on gambling sponsorship in sport coming into force last year. The country has also introduced player loss limits. Default monthly player loss limits are set at €350 for over 24s and €150 for under 24s. Players can request a higher limit.
Since its launch alongside the regulated online market, over 100,000 people have signed up to Cruks, the Netherlands’ gambling self-exclusion register.
