The Dutch gambling market contracted in 2025 as online operators felt the impact of stricter player protection rules, higher gambling taxes and tougher advertising restrictions.
New figures published by the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) show that the regulated market’s gross gaming result (BSR) fell from €4.5bn in 2024 to €4.1bn in 2025, with the steepest declines recorded in online casino and sports betting.
According to the regulator’s Thursday release, online casino revenue dropped 18.2% year-on-year, while online betting revenue fell by 30.2%.
The regulator’s latest monitoring report also highlighted continued challenges around channelisation. Although an estimated 94% of online gamblers use licensed operators, the legal market accounted for only 59% of gambling revenue during the first half of 2026, suggesting that higher-spending players remain more active on unregulated platforms.
Online betting and casino revenue take biggest hit
The sharpest declines in 2025 came from the online market. KSA data shows online casino BSR fell from €1.16bn in 2024 to €947m in 2025, while online betting revenue dropped from €364m to €254m over the same period.
The regulator said the changes were influenced by the introduction of net deposit limits in October 2024, higher gambling tax rates and restrictions on gambling sponsorship and advertising.
Land-based results were more mixed. Revenue from gaming machines in arcades and hospitality venues fell by 4.7%, but Holland Casino recorded a 2.8% increase in BSR. The lottery sector proved more resilient, with revenue declining by just 1.8% compared with the previous year.
More accounts, but not more players
While revenue moved lower, the number of online gambling accounts continued to increase. During the first six months of 2026, the regulator recorded an average of 1.48 million active accounts per month, compared with 1.38 million during the previous reporting period.
At the same time, more than 563,000 new accounts were opened, up from 529,000 in the second half of 2025.
The increase in account numbers did not translate into a similar rise in participation. The KSA estimates that around 820,000 individuals gambled online at licensed operators during the first half of 2026, slightly below the 830,000 recorded in the second half of 2025. Monthly participation also edged down to around 490,000 people from 510,000 previously.
Legal market captures 59% of gambling revenue
The latest figures also show a significant gap between channelization measured by player numbers and channelization measured by revenue.
Between 94% and 97% of online gamblers use legal operators according to the KSA, but in the first half of 2026, licensed operators accounted for only 59% of total online gambling revenue, up from 54% in the second half of 2025 but still leaving a large share of spending outside the regulated market.
The reports also point to a growing number of people seeking help for gambling-related problems. Figures from the National Alcohol and Drugs Information System show that 3,108 people received treatment for gambling addiction in 2025, an increase of more than 14% compared with 2,708 people in 2024.
Separate research cited by the regulator found little change in the highest-risk gambling category, with 65% of online gamblers were classified as non-problematic gamblers, while 9% were considered high-risk, unchanged from the previous year.
