Dutch online gambling market stagnates in KSA spring report

The Netherlands' legal online gambling market has hit a growth plateau, according to the Kansspelautoriteit's (KSA) spring 2026 monitoring report. While key metrics including licence holder numbers, gross gaming revenue, player counts and canalisation rates remain virtually unchanged from the autumn report, account usage has continued to climb.

The gross gaming revenue (GGR) or define the Dutch term differently in English context – stakes minus prizes paid out – reached €602 million for the second half of 2025, representing only a marginal increase from the €600 million recorded in the first half. Online BSR remains stable at approximately €100 million per month, though this represents an 18% decline compared to 2024 levels.

Account Growth Amid Deposit Restrictions

Monitoringsrapportage online kansspelen voorjaar 2026 (PDF - 220.68 kB)

Monthly active accounts increased to an average of 1.38 million in the second half of 2025, up from 1.29 million in the first half. The KSA attributes this growth primarily to the net deposit limit introduced in October 2024, which restricts how much players can deposit per account without requiring income verification.

Since individual players can maintain multiple accounts across different operators, the actual player base remains smaller than account numbers suggest. The authority estimates approximately 500,000 people gambled monthly during the second half of 2025.

Persistent Illegal Market Challenge

Factsheet monitoringsrapportage online kansspelen voorjaar 2026 (PDF - 123.54 kB)

Player canalisation to legal operators remains problematic for Dutch regulators. While 91% of Dutch gamblers exclusively use legal providers, money-based canalisation sits at just 53% – higher than the previous report's estimate of 49%, following data corrections.

The KSA suspects players suffer substantially higher losses at illegal operators due to reduced or absent player protection measures, contributing to the canalisation disparity between player numbers and revenue flows.

Player Loss Patterns and Demographics

Average monthly player losses increased modestly throughout 2025, rising from €117 at the year's start to €124 by year-end. These calculations account for multi-operator play and irregular gaming patterns across the player base.

Young adults aged 18-24 represented 22% of account usage in the second half of 2025, despite comprising only 9.3% of the adult population. However, this demographic demonstrates lower average losses per account – €34 monthly compared to €73 for older players. Young adults also show stronger preference for sports betting relative to the broader player population.

Market Maturity Signals

The stagnation evident in KSA's latest monitoring data suggests the Dutch online gambling market may be reaching maturity just over four years after launching its regulated framework. The combination of stable revenues, modest account growth driven by regulatory changes, and persistent illegal market competition indicates operators face an increasingly challenging environment for organic expansion.

Regulatory interventions, particularly deposit limits and enhanced player protection requirements, appear to be effectively moderating spending patterns but may also be constraining market growth potential. The modest increase in per-player losses toward 2025's end bears monitoring as operators adapt their strategies to regulatory constraints while attempting to maintain revenue growth.

According to KSA.