Is online gambling legal in the Netherlands?
Online gambling is legal in the Netherlands on sites licensed by the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA). You must be 18, and licensed sites check the national exclusion register, CRUKS, every time you log in. There is no tax on winnings from licensed sites. You set your own deposit limits; a limit of €150 a month or more (under 24) or €350 or more (24 and over) takes effect only after you speak to the site’s addiction-prevention staff.
| Product | Online |
|---|---|
| Online betting | Legal |
| Online casino | Legal |
| Online poker | Legal |
| Lottery | Legal |
Allowed
- Welcome bonuses, free bets and free spins. No law caps their value or the wagering multiple; the euro figures sometimes quoted are self-regulatory ↗
- A bonus must be explained clearly and you must accept it, and you can opt out of bonuses at any time ↗
- A bonus ban is only announced. The cabinet said on 12 June 2026 it wants one, but it is not law ↗
Gambling in Netherlands: what you need to know
What's legal online in the Netherlands: casino, sports betting and poker
Sports betting
Offered by operators with a remote-gambling licence from the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gambling regulator, and 24 of the 31 licensees hold the sports betting category. For a licensed operator you owe and declare no tax on your winnings. Betting ads aimed at viewers during a match are banned, except on the operator's own site or app.1
Online casino (live casino, table games)
Offered by 30 of the 31 licensed operators. Live dealer games must be fair at all times, with camera surveillance and trained staff. Every operator checks the national exclusion register, CRUKS, each time you log in.1
Online slots
Slots run under the same licence as other casino games. There is no autoplay: each game starts only after you act, and the next one only after the last result is final. The law sets no maximum stake, no maximum win and no payout percentage, but the operator must tell you the payout percentage where possible and show the jackpot amount if there is one.2
Online poker
You play against other players. Only 8 of the 31 licensed operators hold the permission for peer-to-peer casino games such as poker, so check that the site you use holds it.1
Lottery and bingo
These are not available under the online licence that casinos and betting sites hold. Lotteries are excluded from it outright, and bingo is not one of the four game types it covers.1
Unlicensed sites
You are not penalised for playing on one. If you win on an offshore site you must declare and pay gambling tax yourself on any month in which you are ahead. It is also hard to recover losses, because the Supreme Court (Hoge Raad) has held that a contract with an unlicensed operator is not void.3
- 1The register's licence-type categories, with counts
- 2Regeling kansspelen op afstand — consolidated
- 3Wet op de kansspelbelasting — consolidated
Using a VPN to reach gambling sites from Netherlands: Legal.
Gambling with crypto: Banned.
Minimum age: 18
- Minimum age: 18. Identity is checked before you can register, and you cannot deposit before then ↗
You must be 18 to gamble online in Netherlands, for online casino, sports betting and lottery alike. Eighteen to play. The figure 24 that circulates is an ADVERTISING rule, not a gaming age: untargeted online gambling advertising is permitted only where at least 95 per cent of those actually reached are aged 24 or over. It binds the advertiser and is measured on the audience reached; it does not restrict who may play.
Tax on winnings: none
Nothing to pay at a KSA-licensed operator: the operator is the taxpayer on its gaming revenue. Winnings on a remote site without a Dutch licence are yours to declare: 37.8% of each calendar month’s positive difference between prizes won and stakes, with no tax-free amount. The €449 exemption covers only domestic prize games outside the licensed list and foreign games that are not played online.
How to check a site is licensed by the KSA
31 remote licensees in Netherlands, as of 3 Nov 2026.
Always verify a casino holds a valid Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) licence before depositing. Check the official register before signing up.
The official register of licensed sitesKansspelautoriteit (KSA)'s website
Prominent operators in Netherlands
If a site isn't on the regulator's licensee register, ask the regulator before you play: an unlisted site is usually not licensed here (a register can lag behind a new licence). An unlicensed site is outside the regulator's supervision, so you cannot complain to the regulator about it.
Red flags: how to spot an unlicensed site
- Check the Kansspelwijzer
The KSA’s register lists every licensed operator and what it may offer.
- CRUKS at every login
A licensed site checks the national exclusion register each time you log in.
- You set the limits
Before you can play you set deposit and session limits; the site may not suggest a maximum.
- Payments in your own name
Only instruments from EU-licensed banks or payment institutions, traceable to you; no cryptocurrency.
- Help: 0800 24 000 22
The free line on the KSA’s Open over Gokken.
Which casinos & betting sites are licensed in Netherlands?
See the full official list of licensed operators and their authorised domains.
Recent regulator actions in Netherlands
Fines, suspensions and revocations as published by the regulator itself. Showing the newest 5 of 123.
- published 2 Nov 2026 · Other action · Endorphina Ltd.The board of the Kansspelautoriteit (hereinafter: the Kansspelautoriteit) found that Endorphina Limited (in Malta) and Endorphina Ltd. (in Cyprus) (hereinafter: Endorphina) had taken insufficiently adequate measures t…Read the regulator's notice →
Original (nl)
De raad van bestuur van de Kansspelautoriteit (hierna: de Kansspelautoriteit) heeft vastgesteld dat Endorphina Limited (te Malta) en Endorphina Ltd. (te Cyprus) (hierna: Endorphina) onvoldoende adequate maatregelen hebben genomen om te voorkomen dat diens spellen op in Nederland illegale kansspelwebsites worden aangeboden. Door dit na te laten wordt het aanbieden van kansspelen zonder vergunning bevorderd, hetgeen in strijd is met artikel 1, eerste lid, onder b, van de Wet op de kansspelen… - published 2 Nov 2026 · Other action · Endorphina LimitedThe board of the Kansspelautoriteit (hereinafter: the Kansspelautoriteit) found that Endorphina Limited (in Malta) and Endorphina Ltd. (in Cyprus) (hereinafter: Endorphina) had taken insufficiently adequate measures t…Read the regulator's notice →
Original (nl)
De raad van bestuur van de Kansspelautoriteit (hierna: de Kansspelautoriteit) heeft vastgesteld dat Endorphina Limited (te Malta) en Endorphina Ltd. (te Cyprus) (hierna: Endorphina) onvoldoende adequate maatregelen hebben genomen om te voorkomen dat diens spellen op in Nederland illegale kansspelwebsites worden aangeboden. Door dit na te laten wordt het aanbieden van kansspelen zonder vergunning bevorderd, hetgeen in strijd is met artikel 1, eerste lid, onder b, van de Wet op de kansspelen… - published 22 Oct 2026 · Order · JACO V.I.P. LIMITADAThe board of the Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) has established that JACO V.I.P. Limitada, through the website spinstar.bet, offers the opportunity to participate in a game of chance, even though no licence has been issued …Read the regulator's notice →
Original (nl)
De raad van bestuur van de Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) heeft vastgesteld dat JACO V.I.P. Limitada door middel van de website spinstar.bet gelegenheid geeft tot deelname aan een kansspel, terwijl voor dat laatstgenoemde aanbod geen vergunning is afgegeven op grond van de Wet op de Kansspelen. De raad van bestuur van de Ksa draagt JACO V.I.P. Limitada op het aanbieden van onvergunde kansspelen te staken en gestaakt te houden door middel van een last onder dwangsom. - 15 Sep 2026 · Regulatory action · Virtual Connect S.R.L.The Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) has determined that Virtual Connect S.R.L. is offering unlicensed games through the website lukcygem.com and has issued an order subject to a penalty payment for them to cease and keep cea…Read the regulator's notice →
- published 8 Sep 2026 · Order · SkyGrow Group LimitadaThe board of the Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) has established that SkyGrow Group Limitada offers the opportunity to participate in a game of chance through the website boomerang.bet, even though no licence has been issued…Read the regulator's notice →
Original (nl)
De raad van bestuur van de Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) heeft vastgesteld dat SkyGrow Group Limitada door middel van de website boomerang.bet gelegenheid geeft tot deelname aan een kansspel, terwijl voor dat laatstgenoemde aanbod geen vergunning is afgegeven op grond van de Wet op de Kansspelen. De raad van bestuur van de Ksa draagt SkyGrow Group Limitada het aanbieden van onvergunde kansspelen te staken en gestaakt te houden en legt SkyGrow Group Limitada een last onder dwangsom op.
Changes to Netherlands's gambling rules
Official changes that affect players, newest first, each with the document it comes from. A change marked not yet in our report is confirmed in the official text but not yet worked into our research report and the answers on this page.
- 17 Sep 2026kansspelautoriteit.nlNot yet in our reportEerste vervolgvergunningen voor online kansspelen verleend
Players can continue using the services of operators that hold a follow-up licence.
Official source: kansspelautoriteit.nl document
Official words and what it touches
“De Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) heeft de eerste acht vervolgvergunningen verleend aan aanbieders van online kansspelen.”
- Document
- Eerste vervolgvergunningen voor online kansspelen verleend · kansspelautoriteit.nl document
- Status
- Accepted as a law change on 30 Oct 2026; the next Netherlands research pass rewrites the answers it touches from the official text.
Our daily watch reads the official publishers we follow for Netherlands. A change is listed once it has been checked against the official document, by a person or, where marked, by our automated check. Dates are the official dates, not the day we found the change.
Self-exclusion and problem-gambling help in the Netherlands
- Deposit limit: You set it. You set limits on time, deposits and balance before you register. The state sets no cap. A lower limit applies at once, a higher one after at least a week ↗
- Talk-to-you threshold: €150 / €350. A month, for ages 18 to 24 and 24 and over. Crossing it triggers a conversation with the operator, not a refusal ↗
- Self-exclusion: 6 months minimum. CRUKS covers every licensed operator, and you cannot undo it within the first six months ↗
- Autoplay: None. Each game starts only after you act ↗
1.3% of adults in Netherlands are estimated to have a gambling problem (WODC 2025).
Compare with other countries →Open over Gokken, the Kansspelautoriteit’s free helpline (formerly Loket Kansspel) · Visit website
Registering blocks your access to the licensed operators the scheme covers, for the period the scheme sets.
Set your limits before you play. If gambling stops being fun, stop and talk to someone.
Complaints: the operator first, then the KSA
- 1
1. Complain to the operator
The procedure must be free; receipt is confirmed within 72 hours and the complaint resolved within eight weeks, in writing and with reasons.
- 2
2. Report it to the KSA
The report feeds the regulator’s supervision; the KSA says it cannot resolve the problem or mediate.
- 3
3. Go to court
No ADR body is designated for gambling disputes; a claim goes to the civil courts.
Common myths about gambling in the Netherlands
- MythLicensed sites take tax off my winnings.Reality
No: at a licensed site the operator pays the 37.8% tax on its own revenue and you owe nothing. Only winnings from unlicensed sites must be declared.
- MythThe €150 and €350 figures cap what I can deposit.Reality
They are not caps: a deposit limit at or above them takes effect only after you speak to the site’s addiction-prevention staff. You set your own limits; the site may not suggest one.
- MythI can get my losses back from an unlicensed casino.Reality
Not by calling the contract void: the Hoge Raad held on 3 July 2026 that such a contract is neither void nor voidable.
Frequently asked questions about gambling in Netherlands
Are gambling winnings taxed in the Netherlands?
Not at a licensed Dutch site: the operator pays 37.8% gambling tax on its own gaming revenue, and you owe nothing. Winnings from a site without a Dutch licence are yours to declare: 37.8% on every month that ends in profit.
What is the legal age to gamble online in the Netherlands?
18. A deposit limit of €150 a month or more (aged 18-23), or €350 or more (24 and over), takes effect only after you speak to the operator’s addiction-prevention staff; they ask whether you know you could lose that amount, month after month. Lowering a limit needs no contact.
Can I play on a site without a Dutch licence?
You are not fined for it, but you take the risk: you must declare and pay the gambling tax yourself, and the Hoge Raad has held that a contract with an unlicensed operator is not void, so losses cannot be clawed back that way.
How do I complain about a Dutch gambling site?
Complain to the operator first: the procedure must be free, receipt confirmed within 72 hours and the complaint resolved within eight weeks. A report to the KSA feeds its supervision, but the KSA cannot settle your dispute.
Can I gamble with cryptocurrency in the Netherlands?
Not at a licensed site: payments must use an instrument issued by an EU-licensed bank, payment institution or e-money institution and traceable to you.
What Netherlands bets on most
Football is the most popular sport and dominates the betting market in the Netherlands. Matches involving top domestic clubs in the Eredivisie and the national team attract the highest betting volumes.
Biggest wins in Netherlands
The largest-ever jackpot in the Staatsloterij (State Lottery) was won on a single ticket in the May 10, 2013 drawing.
A 46-year-old woman from Gelderland won the Mega Millions Jackpot at the Holland Casino in Utrecht shortly before Christmas.
Sources: Kennemerdagblad.nl · Poen.nl
A Dutch player won the Mega Dream Drop Jackpot on the Dueling Joker slot at Unibet with a €1 stake. This is reported as the highest online jackpot ever won at a legal online casino in the Netherlands.
Sources: Top-Casino · Poen.nl
A player from Amersfoort won nearly €300,000 from two combination bet slips placed with TOTO. The total stake for the winning tickets was just €80.
Source: WijWedden
Methodology & sources
The research behind our Netherlands coverage
Counted across every Netherlands page, not this page alone.
compiled 19 Oct 2026
Across every Netherlands page on this site: players, operators and the licence guide. The research report behind them cites official sources: the law, the regulator, the gazette, the courts and each platform’s own published advertising policy. Page sections not yet rewritten from the report may cite other sources.
Our Deep AI Scan took Netherlands through all 201 questions of our regulatory checklist, from 105 official documents, read on 19 Oct 2026. Our research team then traced every figure on this page to the document and sentence that states it. The full research report is now with our compliance team for review. Where a fact rests on a press report or a law-firm summary rather than an official document, the page says so.
The 10 documents this page relies on most
- Besluit kansspelen op afstand (Bkoa) — consolidatedRegulator
- Wok art. 31a — the licence, and the absence of a capRegulator
- Bkoa art. 4.20(2) — play is suspended while the regulator investigatesRegulator
- Besluit werving, reclame en verslavingspreventie kansspelenRegulator
- Regeling kansspelen op afstand — consolidatedRegulator
- Beleidsregels vergunningverlening kansspelen op afstand 2026Regulator
- Wet op de kansspelbelasting — consolidatedRegulator
- Regeling koa art. 3.19d–3.19e — the contact momentRegulator
- KSA — costs and required documents, the module indexRegulator
- The register of licensed operators, as JSONRegulator
Also cited on this page
- Wet op de kansspelen (Wok): the consolidated text. Titel Vb carries the remote regime. NOT authentic: the Staatsblad is
- Stb. 2019, 127: the Remote Gambling Act as gazetted (Wet van 20 februari 2019 amending the Wok)
- Stb. 2021, 45: the commencement decree; the market opened 1 April 2021
- Besluit werving, reclame en verslavingspreventie kansspelen: art. 2ab the untargeted-advertising ban, art. 2a the bonus rules, art. 18 the mandatory intervention
- Regeling werving, reclame en verslavingspreventie kansspelen: art. 3 what every advertisement must show, art. 6 the bonus cooling-off ladder
- Wet op de kansspelbelasting: art. 5 sets the rate at 37.8 per cent; art. 1 puts the tax on the OPERATOR for remote gambling, and art. 4 exempts the player
- CRUKS: the central exclusion register. cruksregister.nl is official; cruks.nl is NOT
- Kansspelautoriteit: the regulator, and the AML supervisor for gambling
- Hoge Raad, ECLI:NL:HR:2026:1159 (3 July 2026). A contract with an unlicensed online operator is neither void nor voidable; the player cannot recover losses by nullity
- Wet kansspelen op afstand (Wet van 20 februari 2019, Stb. 2019/127): Remote Gambling Act amending the Wet op de kansspelen and Wet op de kansspelbelasting; opened the licensed online market on 1 October 2021
- Online GGR 2025, Kansspelautoriteit monitoringsrapportages: online BSR €600m H1 2025 + …
- KSA — Kansspelwijzer, the register of licensed operators
- KSA — annual report 2025 (the legal market of EUR 4.3bn in 2024, per the Marktscan Kansspelen 2025)
- wetten.overheid.nl — verified 2026-10-05
105 documents in all. Request the full research report for every source, answer by answer.