Online gambling regulation in Netherlands

Prohibited. Remote gambling offers without a Dutch licence are prohibited; prohibition applies to all locally unlicensed offers regardless of other EU/EEA licences.

Offering remote gambling or advertising locally unlicensed offers is prohibited regardless of any foreign licence. Licensed‑only advertising; detailed provisions not fully verified.

Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa), the Dutch Gambling Authority — kansspelautoriteit.nl

Remote Gambling Act (Kansspelen op afstand), implementing open licensing for most online gambling.

Online casino: Licensed. Online sports betting: Licensed.

The regulator publishes a register of licensed operators. Kansspelautoriteit publishes an online list of licensed operators (vergunningen kansspelen op afstand)

https://kansspelautoriteit.nl

• Administrative fines and penalties against illegal online offers
• Orders subject to penalty payments and licence revocations
• Actions targeting affiliates and advertising channels promoting unlicensed sites
• Cooperation with payment and media providers to disrupt illegal supply

• Untargeted gambling advertising on TV, radio, print and public spaces is banned from 1 July 2023
• Online/direct marketing allowed only with targeting that excludes under‑24s and other vulnerable groups
• Operators must ensure at least 95% of recipients are 24+ and offer easy opt‑out from marketing
• Licensed operators may not sponsor sportspersons or teams (ban on sponsoring from gambling ads regime)

• Ban on untargeted gambling advertising effective 1 July 2023; strongly impacts licensed operators and affiliates
• Further tightening of advertising guidance for remote gambling, focusing on vulnerable groups and high‑risk players
• First online licences granted renewals approaching 2026 under Kansspelautoriteit supervision

• Exact article numbers in the Remote Gambling Act and subordinate decrees on advertising and unlicensed promotion not confirmed
• Specific statutory basis for prohibiting advertising of unlicensed operators (e.g. detailed sections) not confirmed from primary legal text
• Whether ISP or domain blocking is expressly used as an enforcement tool is not clearly confirmed
• Whether any Dutch licence regime specifically covers sweepstakes/social casinos.
• Whether paid mystery boxes/loot boxes are treated as gambling or consumer products in all cases.
• Whether event/prediction markets are treated as gambling, financial derivatives, or both under current Dutch rules.

1. gamblingholland.nl/license
2. iclg.com/practice-areas/gambling-laws-and-regulations/netherlands
3. cms.law/en/nld/legal-updates/dutch-ban-on-untargeted-advertising-for-online-gambling-begins-1-july-2023
4. blenheim.nl/en/blog/ban-on-advertising-rules-for-remote-gambling-operators/
5. kansspelautoriteit.nl/file/market-vision-gambling-market-regulation-and-market-supervision-public-interest
6. kansspelautoriteit.nl/
7. merlin.obs.coe.int/article/9806
8. igamerhq.com/compliance/advertising/netherlands
9. worldpokerdeals.com/blog/online-poker-sites-in-the-netherlands-where-to-roll
10. riverodds.app/poker-in-netherlands/
11. somuchpoker.com/poker-guides/europe/netherlands
12. gamblingholland.nl/
13. igaming-times.com/countries/netherlands
14. eupoker.com/netherlands-poker-regulations/
15. lawandmore.eu/the-dutch-gambling-act/
16. kansspelautoriteit.nl/aanpak-illegale-poker
17. blog.predictefy.com/prediction-markets-netherlands
18. igamingbusiness.com/legal-compliance/polymarket-faces-dutch-penalty/
19. yogonet.com/international/news/2026/02/19/117681-dutch-regulator-orders-polymarket-to-halt-operations-over-unlicensed-gambling
20. dyutam.com/news/netherlands-bans-polymarket-illegal-gambling-prediction-markets/
21. track360.io/blog/loot-box-vs-mystery-box-gambling-regulation-map-2026
22. blog.promise.legal/loot-box-laws-game-developers/
23. tech-insider.org/mystery-boxes/mystery-boxes-vs-loot-boxes/
24. track360.io/blog/mystery-box-gambling-or-shopping-operator-compliance-guide
25. linkedin.com/posts/cryptobreaking_dutch-authorities-call-on-polymarkets-dutch-activity-7430852532538851328-s-Be

Researched 2026-09-21 from public sources and summarised by the Brandfense team. Not legal advice — confirm with the regulator or your counsel before acting.