(AsiaGameHub) – According to the 2025 annual report from the Netherlands’ Gambling Authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the illegal online gambling sector has surpassed the legal market in the country.
The report outlines key statistics and findings:
Market Size & Segment Share
- €4.3 billion – Total legal gambling market (no year-over-year change)
- €617 million (KSA estimate) and €600 million – Illegal and legal online segments respectively in H1 2025
- 51% to 49% – Shift in the legal segment’s GGR share from late 2024 to early 2025; ~94% – Share of players using only licensed operators
Operator Fines in 2025
- €8.6 million – 5 fines for licensed operators over player protection violations (vs €800k / 2 fines in 2024)
- €31.2 million – 4 fines for illegal operators (vs €4.1 million in 2024), including penalties based on estimated GGR via a new Google search methodology
- 10% – Legal cap on fines as a percentage of global GGR; discussions are ongoing to raise this limit
Self-Exclusion Register (Cruks)
- ~85k–109k – Registered users over one year
- 380 – Forced registrations initiated by operators (vs 97 in 2024)
- 17%–29% and 41%–50% – Growth in Gokstop campaign awareness among frequent and problem gamblers respectively
Sports Sponsorship Ban
- From July 1, 2025 – Full ban on sports sponsorship by online operators
- No major violations recorded post-implementation
“Disconnect” Enforcement Programme (Launched 2025)
- 4 focus areas – Marketing, B2B, payments, internet
- Since August 2025, almost no illegal casino ads on Google (per KSA’s claim)
- 50,000+ illegal ads monthly on social media; 800 complaints (vs 219 in 2024)
- 4 influencers sanctioned for illegal gambling promotion
- Cooperation with .nl registry blocked access to part of the illegal affiliate infrastructure
Regulator Finances
- €11.1 million – Annual result
- €20.3 million – Collected regulatory fees vs €27.7 million planned
- Decline linked to tighter limits and higher gambling tax
The KSA noted that stricter player protection rules may have contributed to some users moving to illegal operators and a drop in the legal GGR share.
The regulator continues to expand enforcement via its “Disconnect” programme and is discussing higher penalty limits above 10% of global GGR with the Ministry of Justice.
This article is provided by a third-party. AsiaGameHub (https://asiagamehub.com/) makes no warranties regarding its content.
AsiaGameHub delivers targeted distribution for iGaming, Casino, and eSports, connecting 3,000+ premium Asian media outlets and 80,000+ specialized influencers across ASEAN.