Dutch gambling licence holders have been informed of new guidelines to ensure that marketing campaigns comply with ‘targeting rules’ set by the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA).
Since July 2023, the KSA has imposed a ‘ban on untargeted mass-market gambling advertising’ – a policy applied across all Dutch media channels.
The ban formed part of the first revisions to the Remote Gambling Act (KOA), the legislative framework that launched the Netherlands’ regulated online gambling market in October 2021.
Under strict orders, licence holders must ensure that marketing campaigns target audiences aged over 24-years-old, with campaigns required to demonstrate a minimum 95% compliance threshold.
Operators must also show evidence of age-gating, audience segmentation and protective algorithms, with clear instructions that campaigns should be terminated when these compliance tools are deemed insufficient.
Since 2023, the KSA has issued penalties of €400,000 to operators, including Bingoal, Hillside Media (bet365), TOTO NL, BetEnt and JOI Casino for breaching advertising and targeting requirements.
The KSA noted: “With the new guidance, the KSA therefore clarifies how these conditions must be interpreted and applied. The guidance addresses, among other things, advertising via external platforms and third parties, offering a genuine opportunity to refuse advertising, and the manner in which providers must record and substantiate their efforts and measurement results.”
As such, the KSA has provided a new checklist for operators to undertake prior to a marketing campaign being signed off, to ensure that all targeting requirements are met.
Licence holders must first confirm that every advertising channel provides a clear and accessible opt-out mechanism, allowing users to refuse gambling advertising without friction or the need to register.
Campaigns must also document the application of ‘best available measures’ to exclude vulnerable groups, including age-verification filters, behavioural targeting tools and demographic segmentation, alongside a critical assessment of their reliability across platforms.
A central pillar of the checklist will be the 95% threshold in which ads are targeted to those aged over 24. This must be supported by verifiable data and auditable reporting.
The KSA has acknowledged limitations within digital marketing environments — particularly social media — requiring a precautionary approach where campaigns must be withdrawn if platforms cannot guarantee compliant targeting outcomes.
The guidance has also reinforced the regulator’s mandate that compliance is not a one-time certification but an ongoing monitoring obligation. Licence holders are expected to continuously review campaign performance, reassess platform risks and update targeting methodologies in line with evolving technologies and user behaviours.
In effect, the KSA’s updated framework formalises a ‘comply or cease’ standard for gambling marketing in the Netherlands, signalling that operators that are unable to evidence full control over audience targeting should refrain from advertising altogether.
Coalition duo backs blanket ban
Developments in the Dutch parliament, the Kamer, have seen the country’s political landscape begin to navigate the regulatory overhaul of the KOA market.
It was a mandate that was approved before the snap election of 2025, won by the ‘new centrist’ coalition of D66 Democraten 66 (D66) the People’s Party (VVD) and the Christian Democrats (CDA).
Advertising controls and enhanced protections for under-24 consumers have been identified as priority areas for the market’s regulatory overhaul, framing the next phase of Dutch gambling regulation around duty-of-care principles requested by lawmakers.
Within the governing coalition, both the VVD and the Christian Democrats have voiced their support for introducing a full ban on gambling advertisements across all channels, and for the age limit to be raised to 21-years-old.
As of February 2026, the reform dossier of Dutch gambling is led by State Secretary Claudia Van Bruggen, the third state secretary to take on the governance and reforms of the KOA market since 2023.
This article was first published on Affiliate Leaders’ sister title, iGaming Expert.
