KSA Reports Drop in High-Loss Gambling Accounts

KSA Reports Drop in High-Loss Gambling Accounts

A year after new deposit regulations were introduced to the Dutch online gambling market, the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has published new data outlining how the rules have influenced player behavior. According to the regulator, the restrictions have contributed to a sustained decrease in higher-than-average losses across licensed operators without significantly driving players toward unregulated platforms.

Implemented in October 2024, the rules marked a shift in the Dutch approach to online gambling oversight. The measures, which established automatic loss limits for all registered players, were initially drafted by former Minister of Legal Protection Franc Weerwind. They established a standard monthly net loss cap of €350 for most users, with a stricter threshold of €150 for players under the age of 24. Players can request to adjust these limits, but doing so requires interaction with the platform and a disclosure process that outlines associated risks.

This additional step, referred to by the KSA as a “mandatory contact moment”, appears to have influenced a reduction in the number of users opting for higher thresholds. The latest figures show that fewer than half of users opted to raise their limits after being prompted to review the potential impact of such changes.

The report highlights a decrease in the number of players surpassing monthly deposit benchmarks. Among users aged 24 and above, those who deposited more than €700 dropped from 9.7 percent before the rule change to just over 2 percent in the most recent analysis. For the under-24 age group, the figure fell from 12 percent to just under 2 percent. The regulator notes that this downward trend has remained consistent since the initial findings were released shortly after the policy took effect.

Further, the KSA has reported a shift in average monthly losses per account. Over the eight months following the introduction of the new policy, players lost an average of €80 per account, compared to €116 in the eight months preceding October 2024. While the regulator observed that most players maintain multiple accounts across providers, with an average of 2.4 per person, this figure has remained relatively unchanged. As a result, the regulator sees no strong indication that players have circumvented the limits by creating additional accounts.

The regulator also analyzed how the revised limits affected the financial outcomes of legal operators. It found that the gross gaming result, which is the total amount wagered minus payouts, fell by 8 percent year-over-year. According to the KSA, this decrease is in part linked to the reduced volume of high losses, which were previously concentrated among a small group of users. The number of accounts with losses exceeding €1,000 in a single month declined from 4 percent to 1 percent over the same time frame.

Despite these changes, the KSA acknowledges that some users may have responded to the restrictions by seeking access to offshore platforms. However, the regulator estimates that roughly 93 percent of Dutch online players remain with licensed providers, indicating that the legal market continues to account for the majority of user activity. Still, the agency also noted a limitation in its ability to assess channelisation in monetary terms. While player counts remain within legal platforms, it remains unclear whether higher-spending users are shifting their money elsewhere.

The report does not draw definitive conclusions about the long-term direction of the Dutch online gambling market. However, the KSA has indicated that the early outcomes of the policy may support the case for continuing loss controls as a tool to manage financial risk in regulated gambling.