Since the Dutch regulated market launched in October 2021 under the Remote Gambling Act (KOA), policymakers and the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) have steadily tightened player protection rules. The biggest shift came in late 2024, when new deposit thresholds, affordability interventions and stricter duty-of-care obligations were introduced for licensed operators.
In October 2024, the Dutch regulator started enforcing stricter restrictions on deposits. The monthly net deposits were capped at €700, with any further deposits being blocked until the end of that calendar month. The limits are even lower for young adults (ages 18 to 25), with the limit being €300.
The tighter reforms have changed the entire online gambling ecosystem, with deposit habits and even the marketing tactics working to adapt to the new system. For example, for marketing to be more effective, operators have to use promotions such as free spins no deposit offers to attract and retain more customers. This is because players have become very mindful of how they make deposits.
You see, recent regulator data suggests that players are depositing less money, spending less time chasing high-risk gambling sessions and losing less per month. However, the same restrictions might be driving concerns about players moving towards unlicensed offshore gambling sites.
Big spenders have been curtailed
With the new regime came two main things:
- Tougher checks for players seeking higher monthly deposit caps
- Increased pressure on operators to intervene once player net deposits exceed specified thresholds.
Under the new regulations, players must communicate directly with the operators if they want to set their gross deposit limit above €350 or (€150 for players under the age of 24).
According to the KSA, the intention was that players would set their limits lower and, as a result, lose less money. The KSA also stated that operators should treat high spending (net deposit of more than €300 for under 24s and €700 for the rest) as a warning that a player is losing control. When that threshold is passed, then the operator is required to block any further deposits for the remainder of the calendar month.
According to a report by the regulator, since the measures came into effect, the number of users depositing more than the set limits has dramatically gone down. Before the new rules, 9.7% of players deposited more than the net deposit limits, but by March 2025, the rate had dropped to 2.2%.
Gambling losses go down drastically
Slot gaming is one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the country , drawing Dutch players with their flashing lights and exciting sounds. However, a big number of players lose at slots, not only because they are purely a game of chance, but because they make common mistakes that drain their bankrolls quickly. Some of these mistakes are failing to budget effectively and chasing losses. However, with the new measures in place, players have been forced to manage their bankrolls more efficiently, reducing their average monthly losses by a wide margin.
The Dutch regulator reported that lower deposit limits have resulted in reduced player losses. The report stated that the average loss per consumer had gone down by 31%. For the eight months before the introduction of the measures, the average monthly loss was €116, but that dropped to €80 for the next eight months following the new regulations. During this time, the average number of accounts that a player held remained steady at 2.4.
Again, before the rules came in, the number of players losing more than €1,000 per month was 4%. Within the reporting period by the KSA, that figure had dropped to 1%, with the gross gaming result falling by 8% during the same period. The KSA stated that changing the policies had reduced the amount of “excessive” gambling with licensed operators.
The black market might be on the rise
Unfortunately, the new regulations have brought in some new challenges. Since huge spending has been regulated, many players have been turning towards illegal gambling sites. The KSA even admitted that there was a chance that there were players who were gambling huge amounts with illegal providers. In fact, the report stated that more consumers are now searching for the top 100 illegal websites in the Netherlands. This might be a clear indication that the illegal market is growing rapidly, and the government knows.
However, the regulator also stated that channelization in relation to player activity was still high, with the current rate at 93%. This means that many players are still gambling with legal operators. Although this figure is slightly lower than the 95% stated shortly after the new rules came into effect, the regulator is still confident in players remaining legal.
The Dutch market has become a case study of how strict player protection can reshape online slot behavior, both positively and negatively. The next few years will therefore be critical. Dutch regulators will need to find a balance between protecting vulnerable slot players and ensuring the legal market remains attractive enough to keep consumers away from offshore platforms.
