Fundamental change of direction in policy on games of chance
State Secretary Struycken (Legal Protection) is reviewing policy on games of chance. This is stated in the vision on games of chance that has been shared with the House of Representatives. The most important starting principle of the new vision is to protect all citizens from the risks of negative effects from games of chance, such as addiction or debt. Particular attention is paid to minors and young adults. The reason for this change of direction is that the current policy on games of chance does not sufficiently protect people against the risks from games of chance. This is evident from various studies and reports, such as the evaluation of the Remote Betting and Gaming Act (koa). Because of the worrying results from these reports, the State Secretary is prioritising changes to online games of chance.
State Secretary Struycken: “For me, the most important starting principle is to protect all citizens from harm related to games of chance. In doing so, I go beyond the prevention of addiction and also look at other harm that participation in games of chance can cause, such as debt. It is necessary to protect all people, especially those who have not yet come into contact with games of chance or who have stopped gambling. In this regard, my particular focus is on minors and young adults.”
The online games of chance market was legalised in 2021. Since then, the number of people who have started gambling online has increased. In addition, the number of at-risk and problem players is also increasing, especially among minors and young adults. While some adjustments have been made since legalisation to better protect online players of games of chance, such as the ban on untargeted advertising and rules around gaming limits, more is needed.
Measures
State secretary Struycken is prioritising changes to laws and regulations for online games of chance in response to the worrying results of the Remote Betting and Gaming Act. To this end, he is taking a number of measures to protect people more effectively. This includes raising the minimum age to 21 for participation in the riskiest games of chance. There will also be stricter duty-of-care requirements for providers and an overarching deposit limit with a financial capability test. In addition, advertising rules are being changed to significantly reduce the appeal of online gambling. The illegal market is still too large and firm action must be taken against it. To this end, the Netherlands Gaming Authority will be given more enforcement and supervisory tools. Other measures will involve, for example, blocking illegal websites. The Netherlands Gaming Authority will also be given more powers to monitor legal offerings more robustly.
New vision
The current vision dates from 2011 and assumes a large personal responsibility for players and providers. This vision does not offer enough room for the fundamental legislative changes needed for online games of chance. That is why the State Secretary is creating a new vision for games of chance, with the main aim being to protect all citizens from the risks of games of chance, including people who have not (yet) begun to gamble. This includes a particular focus on protecting minors and young adults, who come into contact with games of chance at a time when they are highly impressionable and therefore highly susceptible to the risks from games of chance. The new vision also sets out the preventing of participation in illegal gaming and combating illegal offerings as an objective.
Time schedule
The coming period will see the preparations needed to adapt the laws and regulations surrounding games of chance. Formulation of a bill is expected to begin by the end of 2025. In the meantime, we are looking at whether certain measures can take place earlier, such as making the duty of care stricter and imposing advertising restrictions. In addition, the State Secretary is committed to putting tackling illegal offering on the agenda at European level.
Originally published at https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2025/02/14/fundamental-change-of-direction-in-policy-on-games-of-chance
