Netherlands Government Considering Outright Ban on Gambling Bonuses

The Dutch Government is seeking to introduce legislation that would ban bonuses at gambling sites entirely in its plight to fight the black market. The announcement was made by the Government itself, not the Kansspelautoriteit gaming authority, so it is by no means final, for the time being. If the legislation is approved and signed into law, it would take the already strict regulation in the country to a new all time high. Also, it poses a massive risk to regulated operators, who would lose one of the most important vices to steer players from the black market.

Beyond the bonus ban, the Government statement also aimed to enforce deposit limits with “ability to pay” tests, strengthen the national Cruks exclusion register, and battle the black market in more areas. For instance, hitting payment methods and blocking URLs. The Cabinet may also consider limiting the number of license holders for online gambling, but this was just mentioned without a follow up plan. If all these tweaks were to be written into law, it could change the Dutch iGaming market entirely.

Tightening Online Gambling Policy

The Netherlands already has a strict set of rules on gambling ads, spending limits and enforced player protection measures. It even has age-tiered gambling legislation, with different rules for gamers aged 18 to 23, then to those who are aged 24 and up. But in its recent announcement, the Dutch Cabinet is worried that gambling addiction has spread across the country since it legalized online casinos in 2021.

The Dutch Government, at the proposal of State Secretary Claudia Van Bruggen, wants to double down on the gambling regulation, by making it more difficult for players to increase their deposit limits, and banning gambling ads and bonuses entirely.

The State Secretary mentioned:

“With the proposed measures, I am taking an important step to better protect people against the negative effects of gambling… Special attention is being paid to young people and young adults because they are particularly vulnerable to the risks of gambling.”

As of right now, these are all statements and proposals made by the State Secretary on behalf of the Cabinet. It isn’t law yet, and the Dutch iGaming authority, Kansspelautoriteit, has not responded to the announcement at present. Though it is important to point out – the Dutch iGaming Authority (KSA), is just an independent regulator responsible for enforcing the law. It is the Dutch Government that makes the primary legislation.

Outright Ban on Ads and Bonuses

This is the most controversial of all the rulings. The Dutch Cabinet wants to completely eradicate gambling adverts, but in the same paragraph it also stated “offering bonuses will also be prohibited, such as free bets when creating an account”. As things stand right now in the Netherlands, gambling ads have been significantly diminished, and gambling bonuses are banned for gamers aged 18 to 23. Welcome bonuses are capped, ads are severely restricted, and “cashback-style” bonuses are banned entirely.

Current Restrictions:

• Cashback is banned in the Netherlands
• Gambling bonuses are banned for 18-23 year olds
• Welcome bonuses are capped at €250 (for 24+ yr olds)
• Ban on Share Your Bet and other social media gambling ads

An entire ban on gambling ads would make it significantly more difficult for operators to compete, especially newer or smaller ones. And an absolute ban on bonuses could harm the entire industry, as they would struggle against unregulated, black market sites.

Deposit Limits and Ability to Pay Tests

The Netherlands has deposit limits in place right now, capped at:

• €700/weekly for 24+ year olds
• €300/weekly for 18-23 year olds

A player can request to increase these limits, but operators are obliged to reach out and confirm the increase. But the Dutch Government wants to up the ante, and change the laws so that players have to prove that they have the financial means to afford higher limits. In the announcement, a test of sorts was mentioned, which would be designed to test whether the player has any legal guardianship (are they legally able to manage their own affairs), and whether they have any arrears (debts, unpaid bills, or other signs of financial distress).

There are two ways they can do this: either through third parties or by requesting the player to provide documentation.

The third party approach could be similar to the financial assessment checks in the UK, which use third parties to check credit history and debt. The second method would be solved between operator and player, with the player being requested to upload a type of income verification or proof of disposable income.

But we don’t know just yet which approach the Dutch Government would use, from the statement it provided.

Player Safety and Cruks Reinforcements

Then, there is the highly functional Cruks Register. This is a nationwide self-exclusion register that the Netherlands introduced back in 2021 when it legalized online casinos. This is a voluntary self-exclusion register for players, but something that is mandatory for operators to check. The idea is that you, as a player, can sign up voluntarily to Cruks, and if you ever self-exclude, then you won’t be able to play at any of the licensed Dutch online casinos. They all have to check your status on Cruks.

What the Cabinet wants to do now is to give the option for players to sign up voluntarily, without a predetermined period after which they will be deregistered. Also, they want to make it easier for people to register on a gamer’s behalf, such as a guardian or family member signing up for an underage gamer.

Limiting the Number of License Holders

The Dutch Government confirmed that it is examining the number of licenses, and potentially limiting license holders for online gambling. Right now, the online casino and sports betting market has 30+ operators, including the local Holland Casino, Toto, and BetEnt (BetCity – based in Amsterdam). There are also plenty of bigger international brands like:

• 21 Heads Up Ltd: BetMGM
• Godwits Ltd: 888
• Hillside/New Media Malta PLC: Bet365
• LeoVegas Gaming plc: LeoVegas
• Optdeck Service Ltd: Unibet

Right now, there are no caps on the number of license holders in the market, so the KSA can keep licensing operators so long as they meet the compliance standards and pay their dues. But if the Government is really examining these conditions, it may be thinking about either limiting the number of iGaming casino licenses left, or potentially cutting back a bit and forcing a few operators out of the market. Though it is early to speculate, and the recent announcement did not go into any further detail than stating that it is something the Government is actively looking into.

Already Strict Dutch iGaming Legislation

The Dutch iGaming and sports betting market is one of the strictest in Europe, and these laws will only cement this reputation. Online casinos were only legalized 5 years ago, in the 2021 Remote Gaming Act, but in that time the regulations have just continuously gotten stricter. And thus it also makes it more difficult for operators to make business in the Netherlands. And just to add to that, they have to pay 37.8% tax on gross gaming revenue.

The safeguards may be strong for players, even going into very minute details such as banning Share Your Bet, or restricting niche props like First Corner/Yellow Cards and Own Goal soccer bets, as these carry the risk of being rigged. Even so, the quality of the offering is struggling, and with further compliance or player protection measures, it only gives operators fewer options to attract and retain players.

Dutch Black Market Among the Biggest in EU

And that is a big problem in the Netherlands, because the regulated market has pretty much plateaued, whereas the black market has gone from strength to strength in the past 2 years. The KSA confirmed in 2025 that while it channeled approximately 94% of the market – the total money wagered dropped from 51% in H2 2024 to just 49% in H1 2025. The problem here is not the channelization, but the volume of money spent at black market sites.

These metrics indicate that the Netherlands is failing to capture the high rollers, or high value customers. Those who would easily exceed the deposit limits, and so either they head to black market sites after hitting this limit, or forego regulated sites entirely because of them. The Netherlands is not the only country with damning black market revenue figures, Austria is also struggling to channel players to onshore sites, as are Germany and Norway.

The proposals don’t look like they will help channel players back to the regulated market. Quite the contrary, they are restrictive and discourage gambling altogether. It remains to be seen how this proposal will materialize, but if the Dutch Government does ban bonuses, add source of finance checks and make it more difficult for operators, it could set the entire market back even further.