During a Gambling Committee meeting held on September 3, 2026, the Dutch House of Representatives discussed plans to target the growing black market by introducing stricter enforcement action against illegal gambling platforms.
10 committee members attended the three-hour meeting, during which the issues of gambling advertising, illegal operators, and the legal age of gambling were discussed. MPs agreed that more action is needed against unlicensed gambling operators, especially considering the Dutch gambling authority’s (KSA) estimates that the country’s channelization rate has dropped below 50%.
As part of the discussion, Justice State Secretary Claudia van Bruggen revealed that the government is currently working on legislation that would give authorities the power to impose DNS blocking on illegal gambling websites, with a consultation on the plans expected in early 2027.
Additionally, Members of Parliament raised concerns about illegal gambling promotions that appear on social media platforms. Addressing this, van Bruggen stated that authorities are expanding collaboration with big tech companies like Meta and Google, which are set to submit reports every six months covering information about illegal gambling promotions.
van Bruggen commented:
“Meta, especially as one of the parties, but also Google, is really open to this conversation.”
The debate also covered the possibility of increasing the legal gambling age from 18 to 21; however, van Bruggen said the government would first focus on the illegal market, warning that stricter rules for the licensed sector could push more players towards unlicensed sites.
