The Nederlandse Online Gambling Associatie (NOGA), the Dutch online gambling association, believes that Dutch legislation is “driving risky gamblers” towards illegal providers.
The trade association has released the fourth edition of a study carried out by market research agency IPSOS I&O. The survey shows developments and trends in the Dutch online gambling market.
Risky gamblers flock to illegal online betting in the Netherlands
NOGA has been working with VNLOK (Licensed Dutch Online Game Providers) for a few months now. Thus, according to research, 95% of Dutch gamblers who gamble sometimes do so with a licensed online operator. So, at this point, the legislator’s goal was reached, which is 80%.
However, almost half of risky gamblers, who are those who bet more money than they intended, do not show proof of income to play online. Therefore, according to the association, this is an indication that players are migrating to illegal gaming sites.
Furthermore, the survey stated that more than 40% of risky gamblers are switching to an operator where it is not necessary to set a gambling limit.
“Stricter upcoming legislation is driving “risky players” towards illegal providers,” says Peter-Paul de Goeij, Director of NOGA.
Risky gamblers are people who sometimes lie about their gambling behavior or bet more money than they intended. These are players who deserve additional protection. Stricter measures could be counterproductive in this case.”
Number of young people playing has not grown
The research also showed, for the first time, that there was no growth in the number of online gamers between 18 and 34 years of age. This is good because half of all Dutch players are in this age group (60%).
The number of risky gamblers in this age group also remained stable in 2024, after an increase in the previous year.
But the study revealed that there was a small increase in the total number of online gamers. However, this growth is significantly lower than in other European countries.
The Dutch also believe that online gambling providers are responsible for preventing and identifying problematic behavior in relation to gambling.
“Licensed online gambling providers have an important responsibility to prevent and identify risky or problematic gambling as much as possible. Taking risks should be fun and not lead to problems,” said a representative of the group of licensed Dutch online gaming providers.
