KSA Publishes New Industry Report, Says Growth Is Slowing Down

The Kansspelautoriteit has published its latest report, outlining the state of the gambling industry in the Netherlands.

According to the KSA, the total number of active players remained more or less the same during the past six months. GGR continued to increase but demonstrated clear signs of slowing down. The regulator said that the market is leveling off.

For reference, GGR for the period from August 2022 to July 2023 was EUR 1.33 billion (around $1.4 million). To represent the slower growth, the KSA noted that between August 2022 and January 2023, GGR increased 33%. However, from January 2023 to August 2023, the recorded growth was only 8%.

The total number of active accounts was 826,000 as of July 2023, representing a slight decline from January 2023 when there were 859,000 active accounts. The KSA, however, noted that the number of accounts isn’t an active representation of the actual number of players.

The KSA estimates that there are 676,000 active players in the country, 417,000 of whom gamble every month. According to the regulator, players wager around €170 a month, based on a new method of calculation.

The KSA Channeled Players toward the Safer Legal Market

The KSA reported that its efforts to channel players toward the legal market are paying off as 93% of the gamblers play with legal operators. This is in line with KSA’s target goal of having 8 in 10 players pick the licensed alternative.

Younger people continue to be interested in gambling, the KSA noted. According to the regulator, they represent 21% of the total number of accounts, although they spend less money per month at €59.

The KSA added that its CRUKS self-exclusion scheme continues to attract new registrations. The authority added that the total number of excluded players has surpassed 50,000.

Finally, the KSA addressed the recently introduced ban on untargeted advertising for online gambling. Since then, only program sponsorships have been broadcast on TV. However, they are also set to be banned on July 1, 2024.

KSA’s chair, René Jansen, addressed the results, saying that they are in line with the regulator’s expectations. In the meantime, Jansen said that operators should be aware of the continued, albeit slower, growth of the market and adjust their responsible gambling efforts accordingly.

Jansen concluded: “The KSA continues to strictly monitor that Dutch players can gamble in a safe market, with sufficient attention to addiction prevention and insight into possible problematic gaming behavior.”