By equating gambling and cautioning that this industry was vulnerable to crime and human trafficking, the Dutch coalition government adopted an apparently strict stance against gambling in its agreement.
Plans to completely outlaw gambling advertisements and possibly limit the number of online licenses available in the market have been outlined by the recently elected minority government in the Netherlands.
The three-party coalition government adopted a fairly tough position on gambling in its agreement, which was released on January 30.
After the nation's general election in October, the alliance unites the right-wing VVD Party, the conservative Christian Democrats, and the centrist D66 Party. After the previous government, led by Dick Schoof, collapsed, a quick election was held in which no party was able to gain a majority vote.
Following months of discussion, the three-party alliance and its 67-page agreement were ultimately unveiled last week. Later this month, a new government is anticipated to be sworn in.
By the end of 2025, the former administration promised to publish a new Gambling Act and amend the laws governing online gambling. However, disputes over asylum policy within the previous coalition led to the termination of its mandate.
Former Legal Protection State Secretary due to rejected sanctions on Israel, Teun Struycken resigned in August along with other government members. Struycken was in charge of departmental reform initiatives and included gaming in his portfolio.
These events were left in limbo following the coalition's eventual breakdown until last week, when the agreement of the new coalition government was made public.
#Regulators and policy makers have a difficult relationship
Regardless of the government in power, Michel Groothuizen, the head of the Dutch gambling authority Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), intimated that the regulator's relationship with politicians was generally fairly tense in an interview with iGB at ICE in January.
The majority of political parties do not embrace the industry. It is thought that the analysis and actions we suggest are a little too realistic," he stated. Groothuizen has discussed in public the difficulties he encounters while collaborating with legislators. He has opposed several political proposals in the past, such as raising the legal gambling age and outright banning gambling advertisements.
Most recently, Groothuizen told iGB that it would be difficult for the government's minority coalition to get support for and approve legislation. According to him, it was the Netherlands' first minority coalition in more than a century.
He acknowledged that lawmakers were open to asking concerns about the existing policy and having an honest conversation with the regulator, which he thought was a good thing.
#Players will turn to the illegal market if ads are banned
A complete ban on advertisements could push business to the illicit market, according to the gambling trade association VNLOK. A complete prohibition on advertising would be detrimental to the Netherlands' current gambling policy, which is "deliberately designed around an open, regulated market with strict requirements for duty of care, advertising and oversight," according to a statement released on Friday by VNLOK chairman Björn Fuchs.
According to KSA data given by VNLOK, the black market in the Netherlands is expanding. The regulator revealed in October that in H1 2025, the black market's revenue exceeded that of the legitimate market.
In the Netherlands, the legal market's GGR in H1 was €600 million. It was 16% greater at €697 million six months prior. The KSA claimed that the implementation of new regulations, such as a deposit cap, to better safeguard players was partially to blame for this.
#The proposal to outlaw gambling advertisements in the Netherlands is not new
The Netherlands has previously suggested outright banning gambling advertisements. Advertising was severely restricted in July 2023; print, radio, and television advertisements were all prohibited.
Additionally, online advertising was modified to prevent targeting advertisements from reaching individuals younger than 24. Sponsorships for gambling also ceased in the summer of 2025.
In terms of licensing, the Netherlands' legal iGaming sector has been in operation for five years as of 2026. In order to stay in the market this year, licensees need to renew their licenses. Last year, there were rumors that the regulator would not grant licenses to companies that had failed to comply with regulations for five years. However, in a meeting held behind closed doors in October, the KSA rejected this.
In order to have a greater understanding of how the operator has addressed the issue, it stated that it would instead request lessons learned from those who had been subject to enforcement action.
"The gambling authority strives to make the reapplication process as smooth as possible," local attorney Justin Franssen told iGB at the time.
"There are some hoops if you have a clean sheet, but for various modules you can just send a declaration which states that you're compliant," Bjorn Fuchs of VNLOK noted.
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