The Dutch Gambling Authority (KSA) spring monitoring report has revealed a concerning trend in the Dutch iGaming landscape. While the number of active licenses remains stable, the total Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) of the legal market has continued its decline, signaling a potential migration of players and funds to the unregulated black market.
The Impact of Strict Regulation
Data from H2 2025 shows that approximately 810,000 customers wagered with licensed providers, a drop from 850,000 in the first half of the year. Paradoxically, there were 100,000 more active accounts, suggesting that players are distributing their activity across more platforms to navigate the deposit caps introduced in October 2024.
The spring monitoring report highlighted an 18% decline in GGR since Q2 2024. While the licensed online market across the EU grew by 11% during this period, the Dutch market remains stagnant at roughly €602 million. The KSA attributes this lack of growth directly to domestic regulatory pressures that have inadvertently favored illegal operators.
The Channelization Crisis
Financial channelization, the percentage of total wagers remaining within the legal system, has dropped to 49%, down from 56% in the previous monitoring period. This means more than half of the money wagered in the Netherlands is now flowing through unlicensed channels.
The KSA expressed deep concern over this shift, noting:
“Because [players] are less protected there, or even not protected at all,” they face higher loss rates and zero safeguards on illegal sites.
While 91% of Dutch users still place some bets through legal platforms, the volume of funds leaving the regulated ecosystem presents a significant challenge for the state’s long-term oversight and tax revenue goals.
