January 21, 2025 3 min read

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Netherlands Regulator Shows 1% of Players Make Up 43% of GGR

It was found that 1% of customers incur losses exceeding €2,500 ($2,600) per month

The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) showed that a majority of the country’s gross gambling revenue comes from 1% of players, who are often at high risk of harmful gambling practices.

KSA Reveals New Finds

According to new data from the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA), 43% of the country’s gross gambling revenue (GGR) comes from just 1% of the player accounts. The KSA’s study was commissioned to explore “risky behavior,” the effectiveness of intervention by operators, and when they should do so.

The data was collected using pseudo-anonymised data from 25 different licensed operators between October 2023 and September 2024. It was found that 1% of customers incur losses exceeding €2,500 ($2,600) per month. In addition, more than 10,000 accounts per month accumulate losses equal to the median net income in the Netherlands, which is again around $2,600.

The average monthly loss for Dutch players is approximately $150, with 68% of accounts losing $108 or less each month, totaling around 700,000 accounts. KSA also found that 6.4% of accounts, or 66,000 accounts, lose more than $756 monthly.

Young adults aged between 18 and 23 seem to be at the highest risk. The group’s monthly losses average to around $66. In addition, the Dutch regulator noted that 1% of young players account for 33% of the total GGR generated by young adults.

The KSA’s study also found that gamblers who are more vulnerable to harmful gambling practices are more likely to play at night, particularly between midnight and 6 am. Night-time play is defined as players who have “gambled for five or more nights or lost more than €300($320) at night.”

What Does KSA Plan to Do?

With data like this, the KSA plans to take action and encourage operators to be more involved in the prevention of harmful gambling practices. According to KSA regulations, all operators must respond to signs of harm with what is defined as “appropriate interventions.” However, there are “significant differences” in how operators report these interventions, with some only documenting the most severe cases. This makes it challenging to determine when companies should intervene in a player’s betting behavior.

The KSA also noted that tracking players’ betting patterns across multiple operators would provide clearer insight. It was estimated that nearly half of the players in the legal market hold accounts with more than one bookmaker, so this should provide a larger base to source data.

As a result, the KSA plans to use this data as a basis for change, encouraging all licensed operators to be more transparent about intervention thresholds and methods. It’s hoped that this will enable better supervision standards and help reduce the prevalence of problem gambling. Talk about these potential new regulations comes at a time when the Netherlands is opening a new gambling harm treatment center in Amsterdam.

The KSA confirmed that it plans to explore the possibility of stricter intervention rules, potentially by revising the definitions of when an operator must take action.

Stefan Velikov is an accomplished iGaming writer and journalist specializing in esports, regulatory developments, and industry innovations. With over five years of extensive writing experience, he has contributed to various publications, continuously refining his craft and expertise in the field.

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