Data from national addiction database LADIS (Landelijk Alcohol en Drugs Informatie Systeem) suggests people seeking help for gambling addiction had increased by 15.3% in 2023 compared to 2022, According to the same figures, the share of players under the age of 25 in this addiction care is approximately 17%.

Responding to parliamentary questions submitted by Michiel van Nispen, leader of the Christian Union party Mirjam Bikker and fellow party member Derk Boswijk, Struycken highlighted various measures already in place to increase the protection of young players.

These include deposit limits for players aged 18-24 to commence in October and a ban on influencer marketing was also initiated on top of a wider ban on gambling ads on TV, radio and public billboards.

Changes to advertising rules in July 2023 did however allow targeted ads via the internet, direct mail, on-demand TV, social media and gambling sites. But operators must ensure that 95% of those reached via these ads must be 24 or older.

Beyond heightened restrictions for the sector, Struycken said the Trimbo addiction research facility in Utrecht would establish a specialist gambling addiction centre to treat players. The centre will also provide addiction prevention measures.

“This commitment remains as important to me as ever. In future changes to legislation and regulations, for example following the evaluation of the Remote Gambling Act, I will pay particular attention to the protection of particularly vulnerable groups such as minors and young adults,” he said.

Government still in favour of total ad ban?

The minister dodged questions on plans to implement a full ban on online gambling advertising, a policy that many parliament members have shown support for.

Instead he said he would inform the chamber during the next session of parliament on any progress made in passing a motion for a full ad ban.

KSA chairman Michel Groothuizen told iGB Live in July the regulator would not support government calls for a total ban on gambling ads.

“Gambling operators must be able to present themselves to players. Although we are now dealing with new ministers, our message has not changed at all,” he said at the time.

Holland Casino rapped for targeting young gamblers online

The questions sought to probe the government on a damning De Groene Amsterdammer investigation in July which found hundreds of Holland Casino digital ads were targeting young adults.

In his response, Struycken said the Ministry of Finance had urgently reminded Holland Casino of its responsibility to prevent gambling addiction and protect its players.

An internal investigation by Holland Casino found some ads had been incorrectly targeted due to human error. The operator has since taken measures to prevent future ads targeting youngsters.

“Holland Casino regrets what happened. At the request of the State Secretary for Taxation and the Tax Authorities, the CEO of Holland Casino has provided further explanation about this incident and about the measures she has taken to prevent such incidents in the future,” Struycken said.

He applauded the KSA for taking “tough action” against gambling violations by actively reprimanding operators for failing to protect minors and young adults.