More money was spent on illegal gambling websites than on legal ones in the first six months of this year, according to the Dutch gambling authority KSA.

The number of gamblers using legal websites rose slightly to 839,000, but their combined losses fell by 14% to €600 million, the KSA said. That amounts to an average loss per player of €119.

“This downward trend may be explained by players shifting towards illegal websites following the introduction of new rules,” the agency said. “That is worrying because players on the illegal circuit are less well protected.”

The Dutch cabinet has been taking steps to reduce the problems caused by online gambling, including raising the minimum age for “risky” games to 21 and imposing limits on how much people can gamble on each site they visit.

Advertising has also been further restricted, and gamblers who fear they are becoming addicted can sign up to be banned from the legal circuit – something over 100,000 people have already done.

The KSA estimates that 53% of all money spent on online gambling goes to illegal sites, even though 94% of gamblers stick to licensed companies. This means a small group is responsible for a large share of illegal website income.

Legal online gambling was introduced in the Netherlands in 2021, with the government arguing that a regulated market would make it easier to help people who were gambling illegally on foreign websites.

Instead, a series of reports has shown that the measures have led to a surge in gambling addiction and rising debts. In total, 27 companies offering 37 different labels now hold licences to operate in the Netherlands.