Dutch parliament divided on future of online gambling regulation

Political divisions over the future of gambling legislation in the Netherlands were laid bare during a parliamentary debate yesterday concerning reforms to the Remote Gaming Act (KOA). State Secretary of Justice, Claudia van Bruggen, fielded questions from nine MPs on topics ranging from advertising restrictions to the potential privatisation of the state lottery.

Calls for stricter controls

Several MPs pushed for tighter market controls. Mirjam Bikker of the ChristenUnie party advocated for a more extensive advertising ban and questioned why the proposed increase of the minimum gambling age to 21 had been delayed. She also called for faster methods to block access to illegal gambling websites.

State Secretary van Bruggen acknowledged the need to tackle illegal websites more effectively. While sites with a .nl domain are taken down with ease, she noted that those with foreign domains present a jurisdictional challenge. A draft law to introduce more comprehensive DNS blocking powers is being prepared and is expected to enter a consultation phase in early 2027.

Regarding the minimum age, Ms van Bruggen stated that an immediate increase to 21 would be "counterintuitive" without a comprehensive analysis to prove it would reduce gambling-related harm.

Targeting illegal operators and market structure

Mohammed Mohandis, an MP for the Progressive Netherlands (PRO) party, suggested implementing concrete annual indicators to measure the success of gambling policy. He also enquired about the potential effects of privatising the Nederlandse Loterij, a subject currently being examined by the Ministry of Justice's Research and Data Center (WODC).

Echoing recent calls from the online gambling trade body VNLOK, Mr Mohandis argued for a tougher stance against illegal operators by targeting financial institutions and intermediaries. Ms van Bruggen agreed that this was a vital component of tackling the illegal market and confirmed that plans are in place to introduce clearer standards defining what constitutes 'facilitating' illegal gambling.

Reversal rejected

A more extreme position was taken by Diederik van Djik of the conservative SGP party, who called for a complete withdrawal of the online gambling act. He also advocated for a total advertising ban across all gambling verticals, including lotteries and land-based casinos, and the abolition of the Dutch National Lottery, questioning the state's direct involvement in the sector via Holland Casino and Nederlandse Loterij.

State Secretary van Bruggen rejected all of Mr van Djik’s points. She argued that with 500,000 Dutch citizens gambling online each month, removing the legal framework would simply transfer demand to unregulated websites. The licensed market must be recognisable for Dutch gamblers, she stated, adding that the National Lottery has a much lower risk profile than other forms of gambling.

While D66 MP Joost Sneller acknowledged that the market re-regulation had caused some damage, he cautioned against excessive measures that could push players towards the illegal market. According to analysis of the debate by Frank Op de Woerd of Casinonieuws, there remains a fundamental difference of opinion on reversing legalisation. However, he noted significant consensus on the direction of future policy, which points towards stricter supervision, reduced online advertising, and a greater focus on combating the illegal market.