
New research has revealed that only 10% of Dutch residents aged 16 and older have participated in online gambling over the past year. The findings were published on January 29 by the Scientific Research and Data Centre (WODC), which analyzed data from three studies on gambling trends in the Netherlands since the market's legalization in October 2021.
While traditional gambling remains dominant, with 64% of Dutch adults engaging in offline betting in 2024, online participation has remained lower. Lotteries led the offline gambling sector, accounting for 55% of all gambling activities, followed by scratchcards at 21% and bingo at 7%. However, online sports betting stood out as the only sector where digital participation (4%) exceeded offline participation (3%).
Online Gambling Gains Traction Among Younger Players
According to the WODC, 70% of those who gambled online in 2024 only began after the market was regulated in October 2021. The study noted that online gambling was especially popular among younger demographics, raising concerns about potential addiction risks.
The report found that while only 1% of all gamblers—including those who only play the lottery—were considered high risk, this figure increased dramatically among young adult online gamblers who manage their own betting accounts. Specifically, 18% of these players were categorized as high risk, compared to 11% of all online gamblers. Additionally, 10% of online gamblers fell under the moderate-risk category, as identified by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), a commonly used industry standard for assessing gambling-related harm.
The WODC expressed concerns over the Netherlands' current gambling policies, which place significant responsibility on players to monitor their own gambling habits. This, the report suggests, may not be sufficient to protect younger individuals, who are particularly vulnerable to addiction.
The WODC deemed existing measures to prevent gambling addiction as "inadequate," particularly given the rising number of new online players. The report highlighted that only 24% of online gamblers in 2024 had received feedback on their gambling behavior through on-screen pop-ups, and an even smaller percentage -9%- had been contacted via chat or email.
Additionally, only 4% of players had voluntarily opted for temporary self-exclusion, while just 3% had registered for an involuntary ban. A significant number of problem gamblers were also unaware of available self-exclusion tools such as Cruks, the national self-exclusion system in the Netherlands.
To address these concerns, the WODC put forward five key recommendations aimed at strengthening Dutch gambling regulations. The first proposal calls for centralizing the duty of care instead of leaving it solely to gambling operators. The second recommendation suggests making player data more accessible for independent research to enhance addiction prevention efforts.
Another major suggestion involves granting greater authority to the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Netherlands' gambling regulator, to improve oversight of licensed operators. Additionally, the WODC urged authorities to impose stricter measures against unlicensed gambling platforms.
Finally, the WODC recommended enhanced protections for vulnerable groups, particularly young adults, from gambling advertising. The report suggested shifting the focus from merely "preventing gambling addiction" to "preventing gambling harm" to capture the broader negative consequences associated with gambling.
Source:
waseem69
13 days ago
Sr. Member
How can you stop this? With rules then it's not possible. Only it can be minimized with increasing the age limit which must be 35 or above.
Please enter your comment.
Your comment is added.