The Netherlands recovers 11% in online gambling, but the illegal market concentrates 41% of the estimated business
The Dutch regulator confirms a recovery in online gambling revenues during the first half of 2026, although it warns that unlicensed operators continue to capture a considerable share of the market.
The Netherlands Gaming Authority (Kansspelautoriteit) published yesterday, October 29, its latest reports on the evolution of the sector, which reflect an 11% growth in gross revenues from regulated online gambling during the first half of 2026, reaching €670 million.
The recovery contrasts with the evolution of 2025, when the legal market as a whole, both face-to-face and online, reduced its gross revenues from 4,500 to 4,100 million euros. The decline particularly affected online casino, with a fall of 18.2%, and internet sports betting, which fell by 30.2%.
However, the most significant data in the new report is the weight that the illegal market maintains. According to the regulator's estimates, licensed operators accounted for 59% of gross online gambling revenues during the first six months of 2026, compared to 54% in the previous half-year. This means that approximately 41% still correspond to unlicensed operators.
The situation is particularly striking because 94% of players exclusively use authorised platforms. The difference between the two percentages suggests, according to the Dutch authority, that those who resort to the illegal market register significantly higher average losses than users of regulated operators.
The report also reveals that the number of monthly active accounts has increased from 1.38 million to 1.48 million, while the number of players remains relatively stable at around 490,000 people per month. The regulator believes that some users could be using multiple accounts to get around the deposit limits set by operator.
The celebration of the World Cup during June 2026 would have also contributed to the growth of sports betting and new registered accounts.
In terms of player protection, statistics show that the number of people in treatment for gambling addiction increased by more than 14% in 2025 compared to the previous year.
The data reopens the debate on the balance between consumer protection and channelling into the regulated market, especially after the introduction of deposit limits and other responsible gambling measures at the end of 2024.
