Dutch lawmakers are split over how far the country should go in tightening online gambling rules, with the SGP calling for legalization to be reversed while VVD and D66 warn that too many restrictions will push players toward illegal operators. The disagreement surfaced during a Sept. 3 parliamentary committee debate with State Secretary for Justice and Security Claudia van Bruggen.
The reform package Van Bruggen’s government proposed in June covers a ban on online gambling advertising and bonuses, a centralized deposit limit backed by affordability checks, changes to the Cruks self-exclusion system, and stronger powers against illegal operators. Whether to cap the number of online gambling licenses is also under study. The first five-year licenses issued under the Remote Gambling Act start expiring on Oct. 1, before that review is likely to finish.
SGP MP Diederik van Dijk went furthest, arguing that the Netherlands should undo the 2021 legalization of online gambling entirely. His party also wants the minimum gambling age raised to 21 and advertising restrictions extended beyond online operators. CDA MP Tijs van den Brink didn’t call for an immediate ban, but he backed the 21-plus age limit, fewer licenses, and the government’s proposed advertising restrictions.
D66 MP Joost Sneller and VVD MP Bart Bikkers pushed back on further restrictions without better evidence about their effect on the black market. Legal operators already deal with deposit limits, Cruks checks, duty-of-care rules, and regulatory supervision that illegal websites simply ignore, both argued. Bikkers wants faster blocking of unlicensed sites instead, along with stronger action against the payment companies and technology platforms helping them reach Dutch customers.
ChristenUnie MP Mirjam Bikker is after a broader advertising ban, a higher minimum age for higher-risk gambling, and faster blocking powers, while SP MP Sarah Dobbe called for higher penalties, stronger Cruks protections, quicker license suspensions, and limits on gambling with borrowed money. Both parties are also working on separate gambling legislation covering several of those points.
Forum voor Democratie MP Iem Al Biyati staked out the least restrictive position, arguing that gambling should stay available to adults and that policy should concentrate on people already showing signs of harm. FVD was also the only party in the debate that had opposed an earlier motion aimed at making illegal gambling websites easier to block.
Kansspelautoriteit estimates put around 91% of Dutch online gamblers with licensed operators only, yet the legal market takes just 53% of gross gambling revenue. Roughly 500,000 people gambled online each month during the second half of 2025, with legal online GGR sitting around €100 million a month. The KSA has warned before that tighter player-protection rules can send some of that spending to illegal sites.
Van Bruggen told MPs that tackling illegal gambling is a top priority and that legislation giving the KSA wider blocking powers is being prepared. A DNS-based system is under consideration for foreign gambling websites, alongside clearer obligations for payment providers, hosting companies, and other businesses that make illegal operators possible. The government wants that legislation out for consultation in early 2027.
Stronger enforcement against unlicensed gambling was the one thing the Sept. 3 debate agreed on. What to do about the regulated market is another matter, with SGP wanting legalization rolled back, CDA and several left-wing parties pushing tighter controls, VVD and D66 warning about channelization, and FVD skeptical of broad restrictions. Van Bruggen now has to turn the June package into actual legislation while the legal market’s share of gambling revenue sits barely above half.