Dutch Gaming Authority Details Normalisation of Gambling Among Minors and Birthday Spike in Account Openings

The Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) has released three studies showing gambling is socially normalised among minors and young adults in the Netherlands well before the legal age of 18. The regulator’s analysis of new account registrations from 1-7 May 2025 identified 15,761 newly funded gambling accounts. Young adults aged 18-24 accounted for 33% of these, with 41% opened by those who had just turned 18.

Data from 2024-25 revealed 11% of accounts opened by 18-year-olds were registered on their birthday, rising to 38% within a month. This birthday effect underscores how reaching legal age triggers immediate engagement. Contrary to expectations, 72% of young adult accounts began with casino games while only 11% started with sports betting.

Registration Patterns and Gambling Behaviour

Young adults averaged four gambling days per month in their first quarter after opening an account. Median daily stakes stood at €111 for this group, below the €209 recorded for older adults. The KSA found 18-year-olds gambled more frequently but with lower stakes than those aged 19-24. Accounts beginning with casino-only or sports-only products remained consistent in the second month, while dual-product users often shifted to casino-only.

A separate survey of 29,724 MBO students aged 15-24 during 2024-26 showed 32% had gambled in the past year, including 28% of those aged 15-17. Most did so infrequently, though 10% gambled monthly or more. Approximately 2% of participants showed signs of gambling-related harm, linked to online play and use of multiple products. One study of 50 young people aged 16-21 traced initial gambling exposure to ages 8-12, typically through family scratchcards or lotteries that participants did not initially view as gambling.

The Age Limit Debate and Black Market Risk

Local politician Meryam Sümer of the CDA recently called for raising the minimum age for online gambling from 18 to 24, citing youth debt concerns. “The key is to reduce temptations,” she said. In June the cabinet proposed a near-total ban on online gambling advertising.

KSA chairman warned against increasing the age limit. He wrote in a February 2025 blog that such a move would leave legal operators bound by strict duty of care while minors turned to the illegal market, which remains accessible “with a few mouse clicks.” The studies highlight how social sharing of accounts via apps like Tikkie already allows minors to bypass restrictions on platforms including TOTO, Bet365, BetCity and Unibet.

The findings raise specific questions about whether further restrictions will curb normalisation or simply shift activity underground. Operators face pressure to tighten verification at the point of account opening, particularly around birthdays, while regulators must assess if advertising curbs and age changes deliver measurable harm reduction without expanding the unlicensed sector.

Reporting: iGaming Business (iGB)

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