KSA launches OpenOverGokken and Gokstop campaigns aimed at youth gambling harm

The Netherlands’ gambling regulator, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has launched two public-awareness campaigns aimed at encouraging earlier conversations about gambling and making it easier for young people to seek help. Both campaigns will launch in early November.

The OpenOverGokken campaign is directed at parents of teenagers and young adults aged about 16 to 25. According to the KSA, parents are often unaware of their children’s exposure to gambling or feel ill-equipped to discuss the risks with them. The campaign draws on OpenOverGokken.nl, an information portal introduced in 2025 that offers independent information and tools to help parents start conversations. Developed by creative agency Noise, the initiative will run across online video, social media platforms and display advertising.

A second initiative, promoted under the Gambling Stop (Gokstop) banner, targets young adults who are already experiencing gambling problems or who may be at increased risk. Centered around the slogan “Every moment is a Gokstop moment,” the campaign encourages young adults to consider self-exclusion proactively rather than waiting for a personal crisis, and also asks family and friends to support a first step. Gokstop connects users directly to Cruks, the Netherlands’ central exclusion register, which allows players to exclude themselves from all licensed online gambling sites and land-based gaming venues nationwide for periods ranging from six months to permanent bans.

The campaigns follow KSA reports finding that people aged 18-23 accounted for about 22% of legal gambling accounts, despite representing roughly 9.2% of the adult population. For the first half of 2026, the average monthly loss on accounts used by 18-23-year-olds was €34. In 2024-25, 11% of accounts opened by 18-year-olds were registered on their birthday, with 38% registered within a month. Local politician Meryam Sümer of the CDA (Christian Democratic Party) has called for national action to raise the minimum legal age for online gambling from 18 to 24.

Separately, the KSA reported gross gaming revenue for the entire regulated Dutch market of €4.1 billion for the 12 months to December 31, 2025, down from €4.5 billion in 2024, a 9% year-on-year decline. New deposit limits introduced in October 2024 require players to provide information showing they can afford to spend more than €700 per month, with the threshold reduced to €300 for customers younger than 24. The KSA said around half of total online gambling revenue was generated in the country by unlicensed operators.