Dutch Licensed Operators Capture Just 59% of Online Gambling Revenue

Dutch licensed gambling operators captured an estimated 59% of online gambling revenue in the first half of 2026. This showed a substantial gap between the regulated market’s share of players and their spending.

Figures were published by the  Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) on 29 October. They show that the revenue share improved from 54% in the second half of 2025. However, unlicensed operators still accounted for an estimated 41% of the market.

Around 94% of online gamblers used licensed operators exclusively. The difference suggests that people gambling through illegal websites lose considerably more on average than customers of regulated businesses. The regulator cautioned that measuring the illegal market remains difficult. It estimated combining participation data and search activity.

Regulated Revenue Recovers

Licensed operators generated approximately €670 million in gross gaming revenue during January to June. This was an increase of around 11% compared with the previous six months.

Casino games played against the house contributed €492 million. This equated to roughly 73% of the total. Sports betting generated €163 million. This accounted for approximately 24%, compared with around 20% in the preceding period.

The men’s FIFA World Cup may have contributed to the recovery, with the regulator identifying a clear increase in account registrations in June.

Across the half-year, customers opened 563,000 accounts. This was up from 529,000 during the previous six months.

More Accounts Without More Players

The average number of active accounts reached 1.48 million per month, compared with 1.38 million in the second half of 2025.

However, the estimated number of people gambling with licensed operators did not increase significantly. Approximately 490,000 people participated each month. Around 820,000 gambled at some point during the half-year.

The Ksa said the increase in accounts could reflect customers opening accounts with additional operators to circumvent deposit limits introduced in October 2024.

That possibility creates a challenge for monitoring spending when individual customers spread their gambling across several businesses.

Player Losses Remain a Concern

Average monthly losses stood at €75 per active account. They fell to €34 for accounts belonging to people aged 18–23. A separate estimate accounting for multiple accounts and intermittent participation placed average losses at €137 per person per month. This was up from €121 in the previous reporting period.

Young adults held approximately 22% of legal gambling accounts despite representing around 9.2% of the adult population.

Meanwhile, demand for treatment increased. In 2025, 3,108 people received specialist treatment with gambling recorded as their primary problem. This was around 14% more than in 2024.

The findings show that recovering licensed revenue and high legal participation rates can coexist with substantial illegal-market spending and continuing concerns about gambling harm.