Speech Ella Seijsener, namens de RvB, 4 juni 2026

Thank you Willem, for allowing me to address you all today on behalf of the KSA (Netherlands Gambling Authority). As head of the Licences and Supervision Directorate, I see on a daily basis what is happening at our legal operators: what they are up against, as well as where significant improvements are possible, in our view. I will, of course, address both sides of that coin today.

We went through a major change last year at the KSA. We restructured our management layer and are now working together much more comprehensively in the field of supervision and enforcement. We also do that because we see that when we turn one dial, there is an effect on the other side. Our former chairman René Jansen told one of the national newspapers years ago that the legal and illegal markets are communicating vessels. This remains the case, thus also prompting a comprehensive approach. An approach in which we are committed internally to making our supervision much more risk-driven and problem-solving in the coming months, so that we target efforts at those areas with the greatest risks where the player is not or not sufficiently protected.

We have also set up a new player protection department which focuses on, among other things, the deployment of the Addiction Prevention Fund (the VPF), and educating consumers about the risks of gambling. This new branch sometimes generates friction, but that friction leads to better results in the end. We look at the various supervision topics through different lenses and thus arrive at policies and supervision that are workable for you, but which on the other hand also protect the player optimally.

You will no doubt notice some of that in the way we work, but I also understand that this is not the most important part of my speech for you. Let us therefore talk mainly about what is happening in the market. In the most recent monitoring report from this spring, we saw that the online gambling market in the Netherlands is stagnating, remaining at the same level as six months earlier. The number of operators, their gross gambling revenue, the number of players and the channelisation rate: all roughly the same as six months earlier. You could call that stabilisation, and consider that the novelty of the open online market has gradually worn off. However, I can imagine that that is not how it feels to you, and I can hear, of course, that you have concerns about the future. All the more since this flat gross gambling result is not an international trend: according to commercial data provider H2 Gambling Capital, the licensed online gambling market in the EU grew by 11 percent in 2025 compared to 2024. The Dutch licensed online gambling market is seriously lagging behind, therefore.

We take those concerns seriously. In the run-up to the committee debate on gambling later this month, we have already heard some noises on all sides about the new secretary of state's policy, and how she will respond to the wishes of the new coalition. Our board of directors have already had a meeting with her about this, and we feel she took our concerns very seriously. We had her ear, so to speak. In this meeting, the KSA has also reflected on some of the proposed plans. We have previously spoken out publicly against a total ban on advertising for online providers. We are also critical of the plan to limit the number of online providers. A new impact assessment of the gambling tax will probably be published at the end of June, showing that the increase in the gambling tax did not achieve its intended goal. Less tax revenue is in fact coming in because the base has decreased. And that decreased base hits you in your wallet of course.

The political climate seems to have cooled for you as a result. The critical voices that had previously been heard from society and the media are now translating into tightened policies, whereby the previously seemingly unlimited growth of the market now seems to be stalling. On top of that, there is another problem: the illegal market. The stagnation of market growth does not extend to the illegal part. The channelisation rate based on gross game result has since decreased to 53%. Illegal businesses are disappearing as quickly as they appear, making them sometimes seem elusive. On the advertising front, moreover, all the stops are being pulled out: TikTok is awash with ads for Skyhills and others, and we all know the reports that show the enormous volume of ads from illegal parties on Meta.

As the KSA, we are putting everything we can into fighting the illegal market. As you are all aware, that has long gone beyond handing out penalties and fines. We are open about the fact that those fines are almost impossible to collect and thus almost never paid. At the same time, these fines continue to send a signal to consumers as well, and other regulators, which companies we no longer want to see in our market. If you have a instrument in your toolbox, it is senseless not to use it. What is more effective is our comprehensive approach: by working with hosting providers, banks, payment service providers and marketing companies, among others, we intend to break down the infrastructure around illegal providers, making it impossible for them to operate in our market. And you, too, the legal gambling providers, contribute to this. That's good to see.

Big tech and social media companies play an important role in that game. Advertisements on Meta and the organic search results on Google ensure that the illegal offerings can be found. As the KSA, we work with these parties by making reports and reminding them of their responsibilities, but not nearly enough is happening yet. Our board chairman Michel Groothuizen therefore travelled to Dublin last week to have a robust discussion with these companies together with some of his fellow European regulators. With the aim of getting tech companies to do more in tackling illegal offerings. Earlier this week, the conference of European regulators (GREF) continued to discuss this, as well as several other topics concerning the illegal online gambling market. Joining forces with our European colleagues puts us in a stronger position to fight that market.

Supervision is not a 'quid pro quo'. Nevertheless, after this dose of understanding, I am also going to take the opportunity to explain what we as the KSA expect from you in turn. As a regulator, you always run the risk of being seen as an extension or mouthpiece of the market. Therefore, when we speak out against increasing gambling tax or a total ban on advertising, that criticism is quickly levelled against us. And if I am completely honest, I can understand that to some extent.

We saw several expressions of discontent in the media over the past year. To some extent that concerned illegal offerings from Polymarket and Skyhills, among others, which we have criticised in the past on several occasions. But many of the questions that came to us, both via the House of Representatives and the media, were also about legal supply. The Consumers' Association launched a major claim in the context of duty of care. The KSA has previously stated that the duty of care was not properly fulfilled after the market opened up. The root of that problem (lack of clarity of the rules on our side, or unwillingness to do the utmost on your side) is open to debate. But the fact that such a claim has enough breeding ground and is being widely taken up does say something about how we as a society view gambling.

That image is reinforced by the level of advertising that still exists. I understand that advertising is necessary to make the legal market visible to Dutch consumers. But there are advertising rules, and they are there for a reason. As soon as new phenomena arise, such as streamers filming themselves while gambling, it is up to you to consider those phenomena in the light of the rules. Relying on gaps or ambiguities in legislation and regulations is easy. But if the average Zembla viewer doesn't see the nuance, you have to wonder whether you are in the right, or have simply been looking for a loophole. My appeal, therefore, is to act more in the spirit of the law.

With a superb World Cup quickly approaching, the prospect of attracting new players beckons. We have therefore sent out letters with our expectations and, as with the previous European Championship, are going to strictly take enforcement action against violations. The World Cup has huge appeal to a key target group we are concerned about, namely young adults. It is precisely to protect this group, among others, that we have strict advertising rules. The fact that this is necessary is also clear from the latest figures on gambling addiction.

Because those do not lie: the number of people in treatment for gambling addiction continues to rise. This is partly due to the fact that gambling addiction takes a long time to reveal itself, so it takes quite a long time for people to seek treatment. With a market that has only been open for five years, it is not surprising that the number of visible people with gambling problems is rising. However, that does not mean it is not a problem. We as the KSA can keep repeating that people are worse off on the illegal market because there is no duty of care there at all, but that is not the full truth. We also see that people who gamble with illegal businesses often started doing so via legal businesses. I have seen a study showing that young people aged 18 sign up directly to gambling sites very shortly after their birthday. They may have been turned on to these by friends in their environment, but despite all the advertising restrictions, they also still come in contact with the licensed offerings.

So there is an important responsibility there for you. If we as the KSA want to be able to continue to make the argument that people are better off in a regulated market than in a market with only illegal supply, we need to be able to show that. We still hand out warnings and fines for failure to comply or fully comply with the duty of care. We still see young people managing to lose hefty sums or play for long periods without any intervention taking place. It is therefore important that you not only start looking more strictly at the measures you have to adhere to. You also need to learn more about the different risk factors out there. What addiction indicators are we aware of? And how do we implement them in effective addiction prevention policies?

That ball is absolutely in your court. As a regulator, we will remain committed to a safe, regulated market. We also do that by making sure it remains workable for you, and by cracking down on illegal offerings. But the most important part is that we are able to say without reservation that people are better off in that regulated market. That is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. It is also up to you to do something about it.

Thank you for your attention. This afternoon, my college Floor van Bakkum will talk more about player protection and what we need from you in this regard. Following on from what I spoke about today, I advise everyone to listen carefully to that of course.