Dutch gambling accounts increase without comparable player growth
The Netherlands recorded more active online gambling accounts in the first half of 2026 without a significant increase in the number of people gambling. The Kansspelautoriteit’s October 29 market update put the account total at 1.48 million, compared with 1.38 million six months earlier.
The regulator estimated that approximately 820,000 people participated in online gambling during the six-month period. Around 490,000 gambled in an average month. Those figures describe individual participation, whereas the account total can include several accounts held by the same person.
The KSA identified the men’s FIFA World Cup, which began in June, as a possible contributor to increased account opening. It also said the pattern could indicate that some players were using multiple operators to circumvent deposit limits applied per account. The regulator presented these as possible explanations rather than proven motives for every additional account.
The accompanying monitoring report found that average monthly losses per account remained unchanged at €75, with a median of €47. For young adults, the corresponding figures were €34 and €35. The report distinguishes account-level losses from the total amount an individual may lose across different operators.
Licensed revenue share improves as annual market contracts
Licensed operators’ estimated share of online gambling revenue rose to 59% in the first half of 2026 from 54% in the second half of 2025. Approximately 94% of participants used only licensed offerings. The regulator said the gap between participation-based and revenue-based channelization suggested substantially higher average losses among people using illegal services.
Alongside the half-year online report, the KSA published its market scan for 2025. Total licensed gambling gross gaming revenue fell to €4.1 billion from €4.5 billion in 2024. Online casino revenue declined by 18.2%, while online sports betting revenue decreased by 30.2%.
The authority attributed part of the annual contraction to player-protection measures introduced in late 2024, including deposit restrictions. It also noted that UEFA Euro 2024 had supported the previous year’s sports betting revenue, affecting the comparison. The annual decline and the newer half-year account figures therefore cover different periods and measures.
The monitoring report draws licensed-market information from regulatory records and operator data, while estimates of individual participation and illegal-market activity use additional research sources. The KSA cautioned that some panel-based observations involved small numbers of participants and required care when extrapolated to the wider population.
