DutchNews.nl - DutchNews.nl brings daily news from The Netherlands in English

25 May 2025
Newsletter Donate Advertise
  • News
  • Life in the Netherlands
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
  • Search
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Art and culture
  • Sport
  • Europe
  • Society
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Housing
  • Education
  • News
    • Home
    • Economy
    • Art and culture
    • Sport
    • Europe
    • Society
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
    • Education
  • Life in the Netherlands
    • Latest
    • Opinion
    • Books
    • Travel
    • 10 Questions
    • Learning Dutch
    • Inburgering with DN
    • Food & Drink
    • Ask us anything
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
    • Team
    • Donate
    • Advertise
    • Writing for Dutch News
    • Contact us
    • Privacy
    • Newsletter
  • Search

Online gambling firms could face legal action over addiction

September 28, 2023
Photo: Depositphotos.com

Online gambling companies should be held legally responsible if they don’t do enough to protect players against addiction and spending huge amounts of money on their services, the Dutch government’s addiction tzar said on Thursday.

Online gambling was legalized two years ago – ostensibly to protect punters – and this is the first analysis by government reporter Arnt Schellekens. In total 24 companies now have licences to target Dutch players in an industry which, Schellekens told Trouw, has had a “disastrous” impact.

Entitled “gambling with good health”, the report makes 22 recommendations to the government to clean up the industry which, Schellekens says, has caused an “unnecessary number of people problems, varying from debt to depression and suicide”.

Earlier this year, the Dutch gambling authority KSA said legalization had resulted in hundreds of thousands of new players and that licenced companies had earned €1.1 billion. It also said gambling firms had failed in their duty of care to protect players against addiction.

One point of weakness in the current system is the way players can open accounts with different companies and there is no link between them, Schellekens said. Players can also install their own limits on how much they are willing to gamble away, but there are no checks to see if they can afford to do so.

Schellekens has also recommended further limits on advertising, in line with those for cigarettes.

The government has brought in legislation to phase out ads on tv, radio and public places to protect gambling addicts and other vulnerable people. Ads are seen as the main driver for gambling, particularly if they feature well known (sports) personalities, a practice which has now also been banned.

Legal protection minister Franc Weerwind said earlier that he was planning to tighten up the rules and would give more details by the end of the year.

Share this article
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Copy URL
Business Society
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation
Latest
Show more
Dutch fundamentalist Protestants again say "no" to women MPs
AEX falls as Trump threatens 50% import tariff on European goods
Dutch forensic experts develop deepfake video detector
Zaanstad says yes to tourist tickets for Zaanse Schans windmills
Fewer international child abductions by parents last year
NewsHomeEconomyArt and cultureSportEuropeSocietyEnvironmentHealthHousingEducation
Life in the NetherlandsLatestOpinionBooksTravel10 QuestionsLearning DutchInburgering with DNFood & DrinkAsk us anything
About usTeamDonateAdvertiseWriting for Dutch NewsContact usPrivacyNewsletter
© 2025 DutchNews | Cookie settings

Help us to keep providing you information about coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days!

We could not provide this service without you. If you have not yet made a contribution, you can do so here.

The DutchNews.nl team

Donate now

Dutchnews Survey

Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey.

Take part now