The Dutch government is weighing a blanket ban on gambling advertising after parliamentary responses exposed fundamental limitations in Cruks, the national self-exclusion register.
State Secretary Claudia van Bruggen, who holds responsibility for gambling reform under the current D66-led coalition, acknowledged in the parliamentary responses that licensed operators cannot use Cruks to verify the self-exclusion status of all advertising recipients. The implication is that individuals who have voluntarily excluded themselves from gambling may still receive marketing from licensed operators. Cruks also offers no mechanism to prevent those same individuals from accessing unlicensed platforms.
What the Parliamentary Responses Revealed
The disclosures came in response to parliamentary inquiries and represent the clearest government acknowledgement to date that Cruks — operational since the Netherlands opened its online gambling market in October 2021 — has structural limitations that advertising rules alone cannot address.
Van Bruggen framed the potential advertising restrictions as a player protection measure, particularly for vulnerable groups.
“The government is working in line with the coalition agreement to further tighten gambling advertising rules, particularly to protect vulnerable groups. At the same time, instruments such as Cruks remain limited to the regulated market. They cannot prevent access to illegal providers or fully eliminate exposure to advertising.”
The Netherlands already prohibits untargeted gambling advertising — ads broadcast across mass media or displayed in public spaces without audience segmentation. The discussion now concerns whether to go further and remove all gambling advertising from the regulated market entirely.
That would mark a significant shift in approach. The Dutch framework was built on the premise that a visible, licensed market channels players away from unlicensed operators. A blanket advertising ban cuts against that logic directly.
Industry Opposition: Visibility and Channelisation
VNLOK, the trade association representing licensed gambling operators in the Netherlands, has pushed back against the proposed restrictions. Chairman Björn Fuchs argued that restricting the visibility of licensed operators would undermine the core purpose of the regulated market.
“The Dutch gambling policy is deliberately designed around an open, regulated market with strict requirements for duty of care, advertising, and supervision. That system only works if the legal, safe offer also remains visible to the player. A total ban on advertising undermines exactly that starting point.”
The channelisation argument carries weight in context. The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) reported that the <a href=”https://theigaming.eu/2025/10/14/dutch-ggr-channelisation-rate-drops-below-50-in-first-half-of-2025/”>Dutch GGR channelisation rate fell below 50% in the first half of 2025 — meaning more than half of gambling activity was already taking place outside the licensed market. A further reduction in licensed operator visibility risks accelerating that trend.
The channelisation pressure is compounded by a 37.8% gambling tax rate introduced at the start of 2026, which increased operator cost burdens and reduced the competitive margin between licensed and unlicensed platforms.
Regulatory Context: A Market Under Persistent Pressure
The advertising debate sits within a broader regulatory tightening that has defined the Dutch market since 2021. The KSA has pursued enforcement actions against multiple operators for advertising and compliance failures, and has expanded its monitoring of the full marketing chain, including agencies providing paid promotional content for unlicensed operators.
Van Bruggen’s mandate, carried over from the reform agenda that preceded the collapse of the previous coalition government, covers expanded player-protection measures, stronger KSA intervention powers, and a possible sale of state-owned Holland Casino. The first cohort of five-year licences, granted in September 2021, are due to expire in October 2026, adding urgency to the legislative timetable.
The KSA has also signalled concern about the normalisation of gambling behaviour. In February 2026, the regulator published a warning on <a href=”https://theigaming.eu/2026/02/20/dutch-regulator-warns-against-gambling-normalization-as-social-attitudes-shift/”>shifting social attitudes toward gambling normalization, a position that aligns with the government’s intent to restrict advertising further.
Outstanding Questions
No legislative timeline has been set for a blanket advertising ban, and Van Bruggen’s parliamentary responses stop short of committing to one. The government has indicated that enforcement against illegal operators remains a stated priority — though the Cruks revelations raise questions about the practical tools available to pursue that objective.
For operators preparing licence renewal applications ahead of October 2026, the policy uncertainty adds a material compliance planning risk. If a full advertising ban advances through parliament, the commercial model underpinning Dutch licensed operations changes materially. The <a href=”https://theigaming.eu/2025/11/18/netherlands-ksa-issues-aml-compliance-notice-to-comeon-parent-company/”>KSA’s enforcement posture suggests it will continue to act against non-compliant operators regardless of how the advertising question is resolved.
Source: Dutch Government Parliamentary Responses; AffPapa
