Dutch regulator KSA launches two campaigns on gambling harm for 16-25-year-olds

The Netherlands' gambling regulator, the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), announced on 2 November two public-awareness campaigns on gambling harm, both starting in early November. One is aimed at parents of 16-25-year-olds, the other at young adults who already have problems or are at higher risk.

For operators and affiliates serving the Dutch market, the campaigns put the regulator's attention on young adults, a group its own recent data shows to be heavily represented among account holders.

What happened

The KSA said it is running two campaigns to make gambling and gambling harm easier to talk about and to raise awareness of Gokstop, the national self-exclusion programme.

OpenOverGokken is directed at parents of young people aged about 16 to 25. The campaign asks them to raise gambling early, even when there is no specific cause for concern, in the way they might discuss sex or online safety. Young people appear in the campaign describing how their parents talk to them about such subjects. It builds on the OpenOverGokken.nl information portal, introduced in 2025.

Gokstop is the second campaign. It targets young adults who have problems with gambling or a higher risk of harm, and also addresses family and friends who could help someone take a first step. Its message is that a person does not need to wait for a crisis to decide to stop. According to the KSA, earlier campaigns concentrated on life after joining Gokstop, while this one focuses on the moment of deciding.

iGaming Business reported that Meryam Sümer, a local CDA politician, is calling for a national move to lift the minimum age for online gambling from 18 to 24.

Recent KSA data on young adults

The campaigns follow annual and semi-annual reports published by the KSA shortly beforehand. According to iGaming Business, the reports found:

• People aged 18-23 held about 22% of legal gambling accounts, while making up roughly 9.2% of the adult population.
• The mean monthly loss on accounts used by people aged 18-23 in the first half of 2026 was €34.
• Of the accounts that 18-year-olds opened in 2024-25, according to an earlier survey, 11% were set up on their birthday and 38% within a month.

Why it matters

Operators licensed in the Netherlands should check how their onboarding, early-account safeguards and communications treat new customers around the age of 18, since the KSA's figures single out registrations made on or soon after a birthday. Affiliates working the Dutch market will want to review whether their content and targeting reach young adults.

The campaigns are public-awareness initiatives. The regulator's public emphasis on 16-25-year-olds, together with the call from a CDA politician to raise the minimum age to 24, suggests youth protection is likely to stay on the agenda. Operators could expect more questions on how they identify and support younger customers, and Gokstop referrals could rise if the campaigns work as intended.

The editorial focus here is the Netherlands. The KSA's data refers to 18-23-year-olds, while the campaigns address a wider 16-25 range.

What's next

Both campaigns start in early November. Indicators of impact could be shifts in public awareness, traffic to OpenOverGokken.nl and sign-ups to Gokstop.