Legislation licensing online gambling companies in the Netherlands has boosted addiction particularly among young adults and needs urgent reform, the government’s research agency WODC says in a new report.

Legal online gambling was introduced to the Netherlands in 2021, with the government saying a regulated legal market would make it easier to help people who were gambling illegally on foreign websites.

Instead, a string of reports have shown how the measures led to an explosion in people becoming addicted and building up debts. In total, 27 companies offering 37 different labels now have a license to operate in the Netherlands.

WODC researchers posed as would-be gamblers, opened accounts and then asked for help via their chat services.