Dutch gambling sector hits new milestone with over one million active accounts in 2023

The Dutch gambling market reached a significant milestone in 2023 as the number of active online accounts surpassed the one million mark for the first time, despite a slowdown in growth, according to the latest report from the Kansspelautoriteit gaming authority (KSA).

The KSA's sixth monitoring report on Dutch online gambling revealed that gross gaming revenue (GGR) for the year ending December 31, 2023, amounted to €1.39 billion ($1.50 billion), marking a 28% increase compared to the same period in 2022. However, the growth rate slowed in the last six months, with GGR rising just 1% compared to the first half of the year.

The report highlighted a significant rise in the number of active accounts, which reached 1.1 million in 2023, up 13% from the previous year's figure of 970,000. According to the KSA, about a third of these accounts are actively used by 448,000 players per month. Notably, around 726,000 players engaged with legal providers in the second half of 2023, indicating that roughly 5% of adult Dutch citizens participated in online gambling during that period.

On average, players lost €958 ($1,037) over the last six months of 2023, approximately €160 ($172) per month, lower than the €170 ($184) per month recorded in the first half of the year. The KSA also warned of the overrepresentation of young adults in the gambling sector, with those aged 18-23 accounting for 22% of gambling accounts despite comprising only 9.5% of the population.

The report also addressed the impact of the ban on untargeted gambling advertising, which came into effect in July 2023. Despite concerns, the market did not experience a significant contraction following the ban, although there was a noticeable decrease in visits to gambling websites by non-players.

Looking ahead, the KSA has outlined its supervisory agenda for 2024, emphasizing the protection of vulnerable players and the combatting of illegal online offerings. Measures introduced in 2023, including the advertising ban, aim to promote safe gaming practices.

While a motion to further restrict gambling advertising was proposed in December by Derk Boswijk of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party, it ultimately failed to gain traction. However, the proposal underscores the growing concern over gambling harms in the Netherlands.