Gambling regulation
Gambling in the country:
Licensing
Local License:
KSA
Top payment systems
Payment Systems (January-March 2025):
iGaming news in the country
Ассоциации игорной отрасли Нидерландов предупредили правительство о снижении налоговых поступлений после повышения ставок.
Affiliates receiving traffic
More about gambling regulation
Offline gambling is legal in the country, as well as online gambling, poker, online sports betting and horse racing.
In 2021, the state passed an internet gambling law that opened up the market for online operators.
Today, the industry is regulated by the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA).
The KSA is responsible for issuing licenses, enforcing regulations, preventing illegal gambling, and combating financial fraud and other criminal activities related to the gambling sector.
In October 2024, new deposit limits were introduced. The primary deposit limit for players between the ages of 18 and 24 is now $311 per month, and for players over the age of 24 it is now $727 per month.
In addition, users between the ages of 18 and 24 who wish to deposit more than $156 per month are required to undergo additional verification with the operator. For users over 24 years of age, the monthly deposit threshold after which additional verification is required is $312 per month.
In the Netherlands, all gambling advertising on TV, radio, in print media and in public places is completely banned. However, only non-targeted gambling advertising is banned on the Internet, which raises concerns among authorities about the potential increase in the risk of gambling addiction among young people.
In this regard, discussions have been initiated on a bill that would completely ban gambling advertising on the global network. This innovation may finally deprive licensed operators of competitiveness in comparison with illegal platforms.
[expert_review_faq params=»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
About blocking and liability
High
Legislation:
Strict KSA rules, sponsorship bans and increased advertising controls
The activity of the authorities:
High
Risk of harassment of non-residents:
Medium
The risk in entering the country:
Low
Risk of extradition to the country:
High
Precedents (against non-residents):
Yes (KSA fines/penalties)
Comment on the level of risk:
The Netherlands is tightening advertising restrictions: sponsorship bans and heavy fines for affiliates who promote illegal sites. Foreign arbitrators should consider the Netherlands a «hot» jurisdiction and avoid targeting. The risk of extradition to the country is high - the Netherlands actively uses the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) mechanism for extradition requests from EU countries.
Blask.com data - index and top brands
Indicates the aggregate level of engagement and interest in all brands in a country. This indicator serves as a barometer for the iGaming industry and combines various indicators to give an overview of trends and changes in the market.
*BAP (Brand's Accumulated Power) - accumulated brand power, reflects the brand's share of consumer interest in the online gambling market. The relative presence of a brand in a country. The BAP graph is presented below:
Data for the section is provided by the analytical service Blask.com.. At the moment, the service's database contains information on more than 80+ countries and more than 2500 brands.
Gambling in the country
The Netherlands is a European country with a strong economy and a solvent population where gambling, both online and offline, is legal.
The sector is regulated by the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA), which adheres to strict requirements and restrictions for licensed operators.
In the near future, the KSA intends to completely ban gambling advertising of gambling games, which is still partially allowed.
Such tough conditions for operators are contributing to the growth of the black market, which attracts players with no deposit limits and strict user verification.
The regulator has already noted an increase in cash flows on illegal gambling sites. Thus, the financial consequences from the shadow sector are becoming more and more significant.
To date, the main goal of the authorities is to prevent the spread of gambling among young people.
The increase in the popularity of illegal sites, according to the government, indicates that current measures are not effective enough and that there is a need to strengthen controls on online gambling in the Netherlands.
It is likely that the legal industry will face total control and tightening of the adopted laws.
The population of the country is almost 18 million people. The country has a very high level of urbanization: more than 90% of Dutch people live in cities.
The increase in population started in 2015 and since then it has been growing by an average of 120,000 per year. This is largely due to the immigration factor.
The average age is 42 and the average life expectancy is just over 80 years.
As of 2024, the population had the following age distribution:
The male population is 49.7% and the female population is 50.3%.
The literacy level (ability to read and write) is 99%.
The national composition is as follows: Dutch 75.4%, EU citizens (excluding Dutch) 6.4%, Turks 2.4%, Moroccans 2.4%, Surinamese 2.1%, Indonesians 2%, others 9.3%.
Language: Dutch (official), West Frisian (spoken in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands), Papiamento (native language of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire).
Approximately 90%-93% of residents speak English, 71% speak German.
Religion: Atheists - 57%, Catholics - 17%, Protestants - 14.8, Muslims - 6%, other religions (including Hindus, Buddhists, Jews) - 5.2%.
Major citiesAmsterdam (capital), Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Groningen.
Currency: Since 2002 the monetary unit is the euro (EUR). 100 EUR = 103 USD.
The national employment rate is 82%, the unemployment rate is 3.7%, and the long-term unemployment rate is 0.5%.
The youth unemployment rate is almost 9%.
About 3.2% of the population is considered poor. Amsterdam (6.6%), Rotterdam (6.2%), The Hague (6.1%) and Vlieland (6.0%) have the highest poverty rates.
The average salary is $3800 and the minimum wage is $2700.
The three basic principles on which Dutch society is built are pleasure, comfort and friends.
Residents prefer things to be carefully planned and organized, with no surprises.
They rarely buy luxury goods and are more likely to invest in housing, avoiding buying unnecessary items.
The Dutch are not a hierarchical society. Here bosses and subordinates, elders and juniors, parents and children, students and teachers communicate as equals.
The population is not superstitious at all. For example, the number of flowers in a bouquet can be even or odd - no difference.
The humor in the country is sarcastic and direct. Some may find it primitive. There are practically no taboo topics here.
The inhabitants have a strong sense of self-esteem combined with a strong team spirit. The Dutch know the value of their opinions and are not afraid to express them.
Many maintain a small but close circle of friends. Therefore, residents do not feel the need to make an effort to make new acquaintances.
In the first half of 2024, the gross revenue of the legal online gambling sector was $781 million, an increase of 8% compared to the second half of 2023.
The number of game accounts in early 2024 grew to an average of 1.07 million per month, while the number of active players decreased to about 455k per month.
Online casinos dominate the sector, accounting for 72% of GGR. Online betting accounts for 7% of the total gambling market.
According to the Dutch Gambling Authority (KSA), illegal operators retain 13% of gross gambling revenue.
At the same time, it is likely that the government does not disclose the exact figures, as on average Dutch people google illegal platforms about 700 thousand times a month.
At the beginning of 2024, internet penetration was 99% and the number of internet users was over 17 million.
The average speed of wireless internet via Wi-Fi is 93.09 Mbps.
The average speed of mobile Internet connection is 19.88 Mbps.
Volume of device utilization:
Popular Web Applications: YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Facebook Messenger.
In January 2024, there are 15 million social media users in the Netherlands.
Number of active users in 2024:
Soccer is the most popular sport for betting. In addition, residents prefer tennis, ice hockey, cycling, basketball and cyber sports.
At online casinos, classic slots with fruit and sevens continue to be popular. Slots with pirates, Egyptian motifs and fantasy themes are also in demand.
Additional mini-games offering big wins and progressive jackpots are particularly enticing to residents.
Players prefer to use gambling apps instead of mobile versions of websites. In addition, the cryptocurrency market in the country is actively developing, which makes crypto-casinos especially in demand in this region.
KSA estimates that about 5% of the country's adult population and more than 22% of youth between 18 and 23 years old regularly participate in gambling.
CRUKS - is a special self-exclusion registry for gambling. The system was launched in 2021 and its main goal is to prevent gambling addiction.
A player can voluntarily register with CRUKS and restrict their access to legal online casinos. The minimum period of exclusion is 6 months.
To register in the system, players provide their BSN (unique personal number) and when registering at a legal online casino, his BSN is checked against CRUKS.
Illegal operators, do not require BSN when registering. Because of this, many CRUKS players continue to play in «gray» casinos. In recent years, «ford» has appeared among such players:
A player actively plays. After some time (usually when the amount of deposits exceeds several thousand), he turns to the support team and demands all his money back, claiming that the operator is illegal.
Players are manipulated into saying that they are registered with CRUKS and cannot play at online casinos and are threatened with legal action if they refuse refunds.
Another type of «frod» that is common among players from the Netherlands looks like this:
A player makes a minimum deposit to get a welcome bonus, loses money and self-excludes. If a player manages to self-exclude, further communication with him becomes impossible - he simply disappears, although the funds for his attraction have already been spent.
Many operators are fighting this type of freud by making it more difficult to self-exclude. In response, players threaten complaints and lawsuits.
| Lic | AVG | Rank | MS | Brand | Rank/MS | iGaming | Rank/MS | Sportsbook | Brand | iGaming / Sportsbook |
|---|
What information is provided in the table?
Here is the statistics on search queries of the Netherlands brand separately by different countries and separately by iGaming and Sportsbook clusters (for convenience the columns are visually highlighted: red - for iGaming information, blue - for Sportsbook information). In case a brand consists of a word or phrase in widespread use - Brand frequency is calculated summarising the frequency of queries from iGaming + Sportsbook clusters.
Lic - this column indicates the icon of local licence of the brand in the country. Licence data is updated manually, without automatic aggregation, so there may be discrepancies with reality.
AVG (Average Frequency) - in this table, this is the average frequency of a branded query over the year (yellow graph).
Rank - shows the brand's place (by frequency of brand query or query cluster) in the country compared to other brands found in the country.
MS (Market Share) - market share calculated by brand frequency (or query cluster frequency) compared to other brands across the country.
If a brand frequency is found in a country that was not previously found in that country, this country is marked as "NEW..." (i.e. it is labelled as a recommendation to study the brand+country bundle as a possible new promotion market). (i.e. it is labelled as a recommendation to study the brand+country combination as a possible new promotion market).
Data is updated at least once a month. Collected from Google search engine.
Can this data be trusted?
All frequency data for analysis is collected automatically via API directly from the Google search engine. To form queries, combinations of queries like (brand + word/phrase) are used. It should be taken into account that although the data is taken from the Google search engine, but in some places it may contain contradictory information, both due to anomalies in the analytics on the Google side and human errors in the formation of brand queries. We review the received and generated data on the site and, if anomalies are detected, we make adjustments, which in the subsequent update collects data more accurately.
The data from the website should not be relied upon as an accurate measurement. This data is collected and generated on the platform in order to understand the possible demand for brands in different countries, as well as to understand the gambling market and the distribution of "forces" in it.
How does the data collection process take place?
There are several stages of data collection:
1. brand query. The system takes the name of the brand and collects the frequency of the brand query across the countries of the world available on Google. It is not uncommon for a branded query to be a commonly used word or phrase (e.g. "Raspberry" or "Alpha" or "Las Vegas"), then the frequency of the query will have completely inaccurate data that is not relevant to the company in question. In this case, "brand + casino" or "brand + bet" is added to the branded query, or the sum of frequencies from iGaming + Sportsbook clusters is taken into account instead of the branded frequency. This is done in order to exclude complete zeroing of brand frequency, and to collect instead narrower queries, but allowing to keep the brand statistics in the general picture of brands in the world and in each country separately.
2. iGaming and Sportsbook clusters - are collected from combinations of queries like "brand + casino" (+casino, +cassino, etc.) and "brand + bet" (+betting, +paris sportifs, +apuestas, etc.). That is, for each country the phrase "brand + casino" is formed, as well as phrases with the local use of the word "casino" in the native language. The same for the Sportsbook cluster, queries with "sports betting" are used, both widely used and localised in each country. The overall graph (red and blue) shows the sum of frequencies from all countries for each cluster, as well as their dynamics. The table by country shows local data formed from the sum of frequencies of cluster queries just for the country in question. If a brand already has the words "casino" or "bet" in its name, for example, "Coral casino", "Premier bet" - then when forming phrases for iGaming and Sportsbook clusters the words "casino" and "bet" added through a space are automatically removed and are not used in the formed phrases. This allows to more accurately form the key queries of users used in the search.
3. Clusters Registration, Promocode, Bonus, App - are formed similarly to the previous clusters, from combinations of commonly used queries in each country separately.
What does the "lock" icon mean?
The site provides a large amount of useful information on iGaming - available free of charge for all users. But there are also more complex developments of our team, which we actively use in our work and are not ready to provide full access to them on a free basis. At least the project has monthly expenses (API, refinements, parsing, constant expansion of information, human resources, etc.). Therefore, a decision was made to add paid access to such data. The Brands section is no exception. All basic information for understanding the market and demand for a brand in different countries is provided here for free. But more accurate analytics, as well as the display of "NEW markets" is closed in paid access.
How do I get full access?
To get full access to the closed information of the site - just go to the page "Prices" (top menu "About Us") and select the tariff "Resident". After payment the tariff will be assigned to you and you will get full access to all sections and data marked with the "lock" icon.
Gambling regulation
Gambling in the country:
Licensing
Local License:
KSA
About the population of the country
Official Language:
Dutch
Believers:
26 %
Second Religion:
Basic information about the country
Name of country:
Netherlands
Code (2-digit):
NL
Continent:
Europe
Capital:
Amsterdam
Area of the country:
41,526 square kilometers.
Phone Code:
31
Currency (currency code):
Euro (EUR)
Geographical features of the country
Province (12): Gelderland, Groningen, Drenthe, Zeeland, Limburg, Overijssel, North Holland, North Brabant, Utrecht, Flevoland, Friesland, South Holland.
The modern territory of the country was partially or fully occupied by the following states: Roman Republic, Roman Empire, Frankish State (Frankia), Gallic Empire, Western Roman Empire, East Frankish Kingdom, Holy Roman Empire, Spanish Empire, French Empire, German Empire.
The Netherlands is washed by seas: North Sea, Watt Sea.
There are rivers running through the area: Rhine, Maas, Scheldt, Fechte, Dinkel, Zwarte-Water.
The Netherlands owns the islands: Curaçao, Bonaire, Aruba, Texel, St. Maarten, Terschelling, Ameland, Schiermonnikoog, Vlieland, Sint Eustatius.
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