The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) is about to accentuate its regulatory efforts in 2026, specializing in the twin challenges of unlawful playing and participant safety. The KSA’s supervisory agenda for the 12 months outlines 5 key areas of emphasis: tackling unlawful playing affords, defending susceptible teams, monitoring the obligation of care, overseeing promoting practices, and guaranteeing compliance with the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act (Wwft). These priorities replicate the rising complexity of the playing panorama in the Netherlands, pushed by each technological developments and rising issues over the well-being of gamers.
Focus on Vulnerable Groups and Player Protection
In response to the rise of unlawful playing, the KSA will broaden its capability to disrupt unlawful playing operations. A big a part of this effort will contain enhanced collaboration with numerous stakeholders, together with cost service suppliers, internet hosting corporations, and social media platforms. This built-in strategy goals to make unlawful playing providers much less accessible to Dutch shoppers and to deal with the complete community of facilitators that hold these websites operational.
One of the central themes of the KSA’s 2026 agenda is the safety of susceptible teams, notably minors and younger adults, who are sometimes vulnerable to problematic playing habits. The regulator is dedicated to decreasing the publicity of those teams to playing, together with by stricter enforcement of promoting rules. Research on the playing habits of younger adults, aged 18 to 24, will proceed to information the event of additional protecting measures. The KSA plans to make use of knowledge from the Control Database to research the prevalence of underage playing and the elements that drive younger folks to gamble.
Additionally, the KSA is enhancing its efforts to teach the general public on accountable playing. The “OpenOverGokken” platform, which can be additional expanded in 2026, will present data and assets on how one can acknowledge and tackle gambling-related hurt. This initiative varieties a part of a broader push to boost consciousness and be sure that gamers and professionals alike have entry to the help they want.
Another key focus of the KSA in 2026 is guaranteeing that authorized playing operators keep a powerful obligation of care towards their clients. This obligation entails safeguarding gamers from dependancy and guaranteeing that playing stays a secure and fulfilling exercise. The KSA will carefully monitor compliance with these rules, notably in on-line casinos, the place gaming limits, monetary capability assessments, and the immediate identification of dangerous habits are vital. The regulator can be investigating whether or not sure types of behavioral administration, which encourage longer or extra frequent play, violate operators’ obligation of care obligations.
In the land-based sector, the KSA will proceed to implement its tips and conduct compliance checks, guaranteeing that operators uphold the identical requirements of care as their on-line counterparts. New steering on using synthetic intelligence (AI) and monitoring instruments by operators can be printed to assist them higher determine and handle gambling-related dangers.
Addressing Advertising Violations
Advertising stays a big space of concern for the KSA, notably with regards to defending susceptible teams from dangerous publicity to playing promotions. The authority will proceed to clamp down on promoting that targets minors and younger adults, together with by using function fashions, influencers, and streamers. These varieties of ads, that are notably fashionable in on-line playing, have been criticized for normalizing playing habits and interesting to youthful, impressionable audiences.
The KSA has additionally made it clear that promoting by unlawful playing operators will stay a excessive precedence. The authority will intensify its enforcement of the ban on untargeted playing promoting, together with sports activities sponsorships, which might inadvertently attain audiences exterior of the meant demographic. While some types of promoting stay permissible below strict situations, the KSA is dedicated to making sure that every one operators observe these rules to keep up a secure playing setting.
Finally, as stated on the regulator’s website, the KSA will bolster its oversight of compliance with the Wwft, the Dutch Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act. The authority’s efforts will deal with monitoring the monetary actions of on-line playing suppliers, conducting danger assessments, and guaranteeing that every one operators keep correct buyer due diligence practices. In addition, the KSA is carefully watching the implementation of recent AML rules, with a specific deal with the function of European regulators just like the European Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA).
