The Dutch Gaming Authority (Kansspelautoriteit, Ksa) has found that not all licensed online gambling operators in the Netherlands handle account closures properly, and has published new guidance setting out what the rules require.
The principle behind the guidance is simple: when a person asks to close their gambling account, the operator must make that as easy as possible. The Ksa described some of the practices it found as “absolutely undesirable” and said the new guidance is meant to remove any remaining doubt about what is allowed.
Customer service cannot be a gatekeeper
According to the Ksa, some operators put hurdles in the way of players who want to leave. The most common one it cited is a requirement to contact customer service before an account can be closed.
The regulator said this is not permitted. A player who wants to close an account should be able to do so without first being routed through a support team.
The guidance also covers what happens when a player does choose to contact customer service or use a live chat to request closure. In that case, the operator must not use the conversation to try to persuade the person to keep the account open. Retention offers, bonus pitches or attempts to talk a player round during a closure request fall outside what the Ksa considers acceptable.
Balances paid out without conditions
The Ksa said any remaining balance must be paid out to the player without unnecessary delay once an account is closed, and that operators may not attach conditions to that payout.
Builds on April clarification on fees
The guidance follows an earlier Ksa statement, published on 2 April 2026, on costs linked to account closure and withdrawals.
In that statement, the regulator said operators may not charge a fee for closing an account, because such a charge discourages players from leaving. Operators can charge for account management, for processing payouts or for the use of specific payment methods, provided those costs are communicated clearly in advance.
The April statement also addressed small withdrawals. The Ksa said referring players to customer service to withdraw small amounts is allowed, as long as players are told about it beforehand and the payout is carried out immediately. Minimum withdrawal amounts are not permitted, although the regulator said it had found no evidence of operators imposing them.
The new guidance draws a clearer line on closures specifically. Customer service can be one route to a payout in limited cases, but it cannot be a mandatory step before a player is allowed to close an account.
Part of a wider duty of care push
Account closure sits within the duty of care obligations that apply to every licence holder under the Dutch Remote Gambling Act (Wet Kansspelen op afstand, Koa), which opened the regulated online market in October 2021.
The Ksa has spent much of 2026 clarifying and enforcing those obligations. In April it published duty of care guidance on player interviews and the Cruks self-exclusion register, and in June it fined 711 €886,000 over duty of care failings.
The account closure guidance follows the same approach: the regulator identifies a practice in the market, states in writing that it breaches the rules, and gives operators a reference point before moving to enforcement. The Ksa did not name the operators whose closure processes prompted the guidance.
Why closure matters for player protection
For players who recognise that their gambling is becoming a problem, closing an account is one of the most direct steps available short of registering with Cruks. An extra phone call or a retention pitch at that moment can be enough to keep a player gambling. The Ksa’s position is that a request to leave should be treated as final, and processed as such.
What operators need to check
For licence holders, the guidance points to a set of practical checks on the account journey:
- whether a player can close an account directly, without contacting customer service first;
- whether support and chat staff are instructed not to use closure requests as a retention opportunity;
- whether closure carries any fee, which the Ksa has already said is not allowed;
- whether remaining balances are paid out promptly and without conditions.
Many Dutch operators run the same customer service scripts and retention tools across several markets. Processes built to reduce churn elsewhere may now need a Netherlands-specific version.
Pressure on licensed operators continues
The guidance lands at a time of heavy regulatory attention on the Dutch market. The Ksa recently granted eight online licences running to 2031, and licence holders face continued political debate over advertising restrictions and player protection rules.
With the rules on account closure now written down, operators that still require a customer service contact, or that use closure conversations to retain players, have less room to argue the requirements were unclear. The Ksa has not said when it will check compliance, but its recent record suggests guidance of this kind is often followed by supervisory action.
Source: Kansspelautoriteit
