Netherlands Gambling Laws 2025: Complete Regulatory Guide

Legal Status Summary

The Netherlands operates a regulated gambling market under the Remote Gambling Act (Wet kansspelen op afstand), which came into force on October 1, 2021. This legislation ended a decades-long state monopoly and opened the online gambling market to private operators holding licenses from the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch Gaming Authority.

The regulatory framework permits licensed operators to offer:

• Online casino games (slots, table games, live dealer games)
• Sports betting (pre-match and live in-play betting)
• Online poker (tournaments and cash games)

The Netherlands has established one of the strictest regulatory regimes in Europe, with comprehensive advertising restrictions, mandatory Cruks self-exclusion integration, enhanced payment controls, and aggressive enforcement against unlicensed operators.

Land-Based Gambling

Land-based gambling is legal and well-established in the Netherlands:

• Holland Casino: State-owned casino operator with 14 physical locations; held monopoly until liberalization; now competes with licensed operators
• Gaming halls (speelhallen): Licensed slot machine venues regulated by municipalities and KSA
• Lotteries: Staatsloterij (State Lottery) and other licensed lottery operators
• Betting shops: Licensed retail sports betting locations

The Dutch gambling market generated an estimated €3.2 billion in gross gaming revenue in 2024, with online gambling accounting for approximately 38% of total revenue. The online sector grew 22% year-over-year following market liberalization, though growth has stabilized as the market matures.

Regulators & Licensing Model

Kansspelautoriteit (KSA)

The KSA, established in 2012 and headquartered in The Hague, is responsible for regulating all gambling activities in the Netherlands. The KSA's mandate includes:

• Issuing and supervising gambling licenses
• Enforcing the Remote Gambling Act and advertising regulations
• Managing the Cruks self-exclusion register
• Monitoring operator compliance with responsible gambling obligations
• Taking enforcement action against unlicensed operators
• Coordinating payment blocking and domain blocking measures
• Imposing administrative fines for regulatory violations

As of January 2025, the KSA has issued over 40 licenses for online gambling, including permits for integrated casino and sports betting operations as well as specialized licenses for specific verticals.

Licensing Requirements

Operators seeking a Dutch gambling license must demonstrate:

• Legal structure: Establishment of a legal entity in the Netherlands or another EU/EEA jurisdiction
• Financial stability: Proof of adequate capitalization, secure player fund segregation, and financial guarantees
• Technical compliance: Integration with Cruks, implementation of deposit and loss limits, reality checks, and panic button functionality
• Responsible gambling: Comprehensive programs including player monitoring, intervention protocols, and staff training
• Data security: GDPR compliance and secure data storage within the EU
• AML/KYC: Robust customer due diligence, transaction monitoring, and suspicious activity reporting
• Advertising compliance: Adherence to strict advertising regulations and proof of age-appropriate audience targeting

License holders must pay an annual supervision fee (approximately €65,000 as of 2025) and are subject to regular audits. The KSA has actively enforced compliance, issuing over €80 million in fines collectively to operators since 2021 for violations including advertising breaches, Cruks integration failures, and inadequate responsible gambling measures.

Cooling-Off Period

A unique feature of Dutch regulation is the cooling-off period requirement. Operators that previously offered services to Dutch players without authorization were initially barred from obtaining licenses for a specified period. This policy has since expired for most applicants, but the KSA continues to scrutinize operators with histories of regulatory non-compliance.

What's Allowed

Online Gambling Products

Product-Specific Restrictions

While the Netherlands permits a broad range of gambling products, specific requirements apply:

Reality checks: Mandatory notifications after 60 minutes of continuous play and at intervals thereafter

Deposit and loss limits: Players must set limits at account opening; operators must monitor and intervene for concerning patterns

Game speed restrictions: Minimum intervals between game rounds to prevent rapid loss accumulation (specific to certain game types)

Autoplay prohibitions: Certain autoplay features are restricted to ensure active player engagement

Player Legality

Dutch residents aged 18 or older may legally participate in online gambling through KSA-licensed operators. Players face no criminal penalties for using licensed services, and winnings are not subject to income tax for recreational players.

Playing on unlicensed platforms is not explicitly criminalized for players, but the KSA strongly discourages such activity. Players using unlicensed sites lack consumer protection recourse and risk loss of funds. The KSA actively blocks payments and domains for unlicensed operators.

Cross-Border Play

Dutch residents technically may access gambling services licensed in other EU countries under freedom of service provisions, though this remains a gray area. The KSA takes the position that residents should use Dutch-licensed operators to benefit from local consumer protections. Unlicensed operators actively marketing to Dutch players without a KSA license face aggressive enforcement.

Advertising & Affiliate Rules

The Netherlands imposes some of the strictest gambling advertising regulations in the European Union, significantly tightened in 2024-2025 following concerns about gambling exposure and addiction rates.

Default Advertising Ban

Since July 1, 2024, gambling advertising in the Netherlands operates under a general prohibition unless operators can demonstrate compliance with enhanced standards. This default ban represents a policy shift from the initial 2021 framework, which allowed regulated advertising subject to restrictions.

Permitted Advertising (Enhanced Standards)

Operators may advertise only if they prove:

• 95% audience age 24+ requirement: For any advertising channel (websites, social media, email, affiliate partners), operators must demonstrate through verifiable data that at least 95% of the audience is 24 years of age or older
• No youth appeal: Content must not use themes, imagery, music, or language appealing to persons under 24
• Responsible gambling prominence: Mandatory warnings about addiction risks and responsible gambling resources

Advertising Prohibitions

• Untargeted advertising: Blanket prohibition on advertising in untargeted media (television, radio, billboards, public transport) where audience cannot be verified as 95% age 24+
• Celebrity, athlete, and influencer bans: Use of any public figures, including sports personalities, actors, musicians, or social media influencers, is prohibited in gambling advertising
• Sports venue restrictions: Limited advertising at sporting events; jersey sponsorships heavily restricted
• Social media restrictions: Strict targeting requirements; organic posts and influencer partnerships effectively prohibited
• Email and SMS: May only be sent to existing customers who have opted in; prospecting prohibited

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is permitted but subject to the same 95% age 24+ audience requirement. In practice, this creates significant operational challenges:

• Affiliates must provide verifiable audience demographic data to operators
• Operators are held responsible for affiliate non-compliance, creating strong incentives for restrictive affiliate agreements
• Many operators have curtailed or eliminated affiliate programs due to compliance risk
• Affiliates cannot use celebrities, influencers, or public figures in content
• All bonus terms and conditions must be completely transparent and prominently displayed

The KSA has imposed substantial fines for advertising violations, including:

• €8.75 million cumulative fine to one operator for repeated advertising violations in 2024
• Multiple six-figure penalties for using celebrities in advertising
• Significant fines for failing to prove 95% age 24+ audience composition

Payments & Banking Restrictions

The Netherlands enforces strict payment controls as part of its regulatory framework:

Payment Blocking

The KSA maintains an updated blacklist of unlicensed operators and works aggressively with payment service providers to block transactions. In 2025, the KSA tightened controls:

• Expanded payment blocking to cover cryptocurrency transactions
• Required payment processors and banks to implement real-time screening of gambling-related transfers
• Imposed penalties on payment providers failing to block transactions to blacklisted sites

Permitted Payment Methods

Licensed operators may accept:

• Credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard)
• Bank transfers and instant banking (iDEAL is the dominant method in the Netherlands)
• E-wallets (where compliant with KSA requirements and KYC standards)
• Prepaid vouchers (subject to identification requirements)

All payment methods must support robust identity verification and transaction monitoring.

Player Limits

While the Netherlands does not impose a statutory cross-operator deposit limit like Germany, licensed operators must:

• Require players to set deposit and loss limits at account opening
• Monitor player behavior for signs of problem gambling
• Intervene through customer interaction protocols when concerning patterns emerge
• Implement mandatory cooling-off periods for players exhibiting high-risk behavior

Enforcement & Penalties

The KSA employs aggressive enforcement strategies targeting both unlicensed operators and non-compliant licensed entities.

Actions Against Unlicensed Operators

• Administrative fines: Up to €820,000 per violation for offering services without a license (increased from €600,000 in 2024)
• Payment blocking: Coordinated blocking of financial transactions to blacklisted operators
• Domain blocking: ISP-level blocking orders preventing Dutch players from accessing unlicensed sites
• Criminal prosecution: In egregious cases, the KSA refers matters to prosecutors for criminal charges

Penalties for Licensed Operators

The KSA has demonstrated willingness to impose substantial penalties for compliance violations:

• Fines ranging from €100,000 to €10 million depending on violation severity, duration, and operator size
• License suspension for serious or repeated violations
• License revocation for systemic non-compliance
• Public warnings that damage operator reputation

Notable 2024-2025 enforcement actions include:

• €8.75 million cumulative fine for repeated advertising violations
• €4.5 million penalty for inadequate responsible gambling interventions
• Multiple fines for Cruks integration failures
• Penalties for accepting play from self-excluded individuals

Responsible Gambling Tools & Self-Exclusion

Cruks: Centraal Register Uitsluiting Kansspelen

Cruks is the Netherlands' mandatory centralized self-exclusion register, operational since October 2021. Managed by the KSA, Cruks allows individuals to self-exclude from:

• All KSA-licensed online gambling platforms
• Holland Casino and other land-based casinos
• Gaming halls (speelhallen)
• Betting shops

Registration in Cruks can be set for:

• Minimum 6 months: Shortest voluntary exclusion period
• Extended periods: 1 year, 5 years, or other durations
• Indefinite: Permanent exclusion requiring formal application to lift after minimum period

All licensed operators must check Cruks before allowing account registration and regularly thereafter to prevent excluded individuals from gambling. Violations result in immediate substantial fines and potential license revocation.

Mandatory Responsible Gambling Features

KSA-licensed operators must implement:

• Mandatory deposit limits: Players must set limits during account registration
• Mandatory loss limits: Players must establish loss caps over defined periods
• Reality checks: Notifications after 60 minutes of continuous play and at intervals thereafter
• Panic button: Immediate self-exclusion option prominently displayed
• Customer interaction protocols: Mandatory interventions when players exhibit concerning behavior patterns
• Cool-off periods: Temporary account suspensions ranging from 24 hours to 6 months
• Player data monitoring: Algorithmic detection of problem gambling indicators

Problem Gambling Resources

The Netherlands maintains comprehensive support infrastructure for problem gambling:

• AGOG (Anonieme Gokkers): Dutch chapter of Gamblers Anonymous; support groups nationwide
• Loket Kansspel: National helpline and counseling services funded by gambling operators
• Verslavingszorg Nederland: Addiction care services including specialized gambling treatment

CS2 / Skin Gambling Notes

The Netherlands takes a strict approach to CS2 skin gambling and esports betting, informed by the KSA's 2018 loot box investigation and ongoing consumer protection priorities.

Esports Betting

Betting on esports matches through KSA-licensed sports betting operators is legal and regulated. Licensed operators offer markets on Counter-Strike tournaments, League of Legends, Dota 2, and other competitive gaming events. These bets are subject to the same regulatory requirements as traditional sports betting, including advertising restrictions and responsible gambling obligations.

Skin Gambling

Third-party skin gambling platforms operate in a legally precarious position in the Netherlands. The KSA has taken an expansive view of what constitutes gambling, and skin gambling sites face significant risks:

• Licensing requirement: The KSA's position is that skin gambling—where players wager CS2 skins with monetary value on casino-style games or match outcomes—constitutes gambling activity requiring a license
• Enforcement actions: The KSA has issued cease-and-desist orders to multiple skin gambling platforms, demanding they cease offering services to Dutch players or obtain proper licensing
• Payment and domain blocking: Known skin gambling sites are included in the KSA's blacklist, subject to payment blocking and ISP-level domain blocking
• Youth protection: The KSA has expressed particular concern about skin gambling's appeal to minors and lack of age verification on many platforms

In December 2025, Valve updated its tournament policies to prohibit CS2 teams from displaying skin betting and case-opening website logos during official events, reflecting pressure from regulators including the KSA.

Loot Boxes

The Netherlands was an early mover on loot box regulation. In 2018, the KSA investigated loot boxes in multiple games and concluded that loot boxes with tradeable or marketable rewards constitute gambling under Dutch law. The KSA ordered game publishers to remove or modify such systems or face enforcement action.

Several major game publishers complied by removing loot box systems or restricting tradability for Dutch players. The KSA continues to monitor this space and has signaled willingness to take enforcement action against non-compliant publishers.

Sources & Further Reading

This guide is compiled from official regulatory sources, industry reports, and legal analyses. For the most current information, consult:

• Kansspelautoriteit (KSA): www.kansspelautoriteit.nl – Official regulator website with licensing information, compliance guidelines, and enforcement updates (Dutch/English)
• Remote Gambling Act (Wet kansspelen op afstand): Full legislative text available via government portals
• Cruks Self-Exclusion Portal: www.cruks.nl – Self-exclusion registration and information
• AGOG (Anonieme Gokkers): www.agog.nl – Support resources for problem gambling
• European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA): Industry data and policy analysis

Frequently Asked Questions

Last Updated: January 2025