• The KSA has issued a second assessment of the 2024 player protection measures
• Overall, the regulator has seen lower average losses and fewer people requesting deposit increases
• However, the regulator has not analyzed how much of the gambling spend is going offshore just yet due to technical reasons

The Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) has issued a new assessment looking into the recent measures introduced in H2 2024 and meant to help address core challenges that the market continues to experience.

Among those were the rate of channelization, the clout of black-market operations, and achieving a better gambling climate in which players are protected. As the first survey noted, the number of high losses has actively decreased, aligning with the regulator’s goals.

New measures continue to yield the right results for consumers

The newest – and second – assessment of the market also confirmed that the positive impact from rules changes continued, with the KSA highlighting several core trends, although acknowledging that channelization declined "not significantly."

Since last year, the Ministry of Justice and Security has made it obligatory for consumers, especially young adults, to contact the operators that they wish to register with before they can set up a high deposit limit, defined as more than €150 a week, or €350 per month in the case of young adults.

The idea is simple – make sure that a player can actually afford to lose the money they wish to deposit. Presently, the restrictions are set to more than €300 for individuals aged 18-24, or young adults, and €700 for individuals aged 24 and older.

The operator is obligated by law to carry out a financial assessment of the customer and determine whether they could realistically spend the amount they are gambling. The impact of the measures, argues the KSA, continues to be felt, as the number of players depositing above the above-stated limits has decreased from9.7% to 2.2%, a marked downward trend.

Another positive impact, according to the regulator, has been the reduction of the average loss per player. In the eight months leading to the introduction of the deposit limits, the average loss was listed as €116, but it decreased to €80 per month.

Many reasons for optimism, but some core issues persist all the same

Before the new measures were introduced, 4% of all players lost more than €1,000 a month, but the number has now fallen to 1% of the total player base, which as in turn impacted gross gaming revenue – the stake size minus the prizes paid out – for operators, which reported 8% less compared to a year ago.

However, the KSA is encouraged by all of these results, with the regulator arguing that channelization remained high at 93%.

However, the regulator has acknowledged that it has not looked into the channelization of money, that is to say, how much of the total gambling spend in the Netherlands stays within the country, and how much is spent on offshore gambling sites.

Previously, the regulator suggested that 50% of the total gambling spend was captured by the offshore gambling market – a very serious figure.

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