Dutch Gambling Accounts Rise Without a Matching Increase in Players
Dutch gambling accounts reached 1.48 million in the first half of 2026, but the Netherlands’ regulator does not report a comparable surge in people gambling online. Its October 29 update puts the monthly player population at roughly 490,000. The gap matters when account growth is used as shorthand for a growing customer market.
One person can appear in several accounts
The Kansspelautoriteit’s new market update compares 1.48 million accounts with 1.38 million six months earlier. That is an increase of about 7.2%, calculated from the published totals. It is an account comparison, not a finding that the number of individual customers rose by 7.2%.
Across the whole first half, the Ksa estimates that around 820,000 people gambled online at some point. Fewer did so in an average month. Those two population figures are compatible: someone who plays in February need not also play in May.
The regulator offers possible explanations for additional accounts. The men’s football World Cup began in June; people may also open accounts with several operators to work around limits applied per account. Neither explanation is presented as a measured breakdown of the increase. Dividing accounts by monthly players would not establish a reliable number of accounts held by each person, either, because the time bases differ.
The legal market has two very different shares
About 94% of people who gamble online use only legal providers, according to the update. Yet the estimated legal share measured by gross gambling revenue was 59% in the first half of 2026, up from 54% in the preceding half-year.
Gross gambling revenue means stakes minus prizes paid out. It is neither the total value wagered nor an operator’s profit after costs. A 59% share on that basis therefore cannot be described as 59% of all bets, customers or net profit.
The Ksa says the difference suggests substantially higher average losses among people using illegal providers. This gives more precise period-based context to the concern behind its work with Google on a legal-operator whitelist. The new figures do not demonstrate that the proposed whitelist has launched or caused the change.
The annual decline belongs to 2025
A separate annual scan, released alongside the online monitor, covers the licensed online and offline market in 2025. Its gross gambling revenue fell from €4.5 billion in 2024 to €4.1 billion. Online casino revenue declined 18.2%; online betting fell 30.2%.
The Ksa links the falls at least partly to player-protection measures introduced in late 2024, while noting that the men’s European football championship lifted the 2024 betting comparison. Those are different influences on a year-on-year result, rather than proof of one single cause.
For suppliers and operators assessing demand, the useful reading is therefore three separate checks: which period is covered, whether the unit is an account or a person, and whether the money measure is stakes, gambling revenue or profit. Combining the annual decline with the newer account increase would conceal exactly what the reports make visible.