Kansspelautoriteit sounds alarm after findings from AGOG survey
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26 Jun 2025 •
Reading time: 3 minutes In autumn 2024, the Kansspelautoriteit and self-help group AGOG asked people with a gambling problem how they experience their addiction. It yielded 139 completed questionnaires. The answers give an honest insight into what goes wrong – and why quitting is so difficult.
This group does not represent all problem gamblers in the Netherlands. After all, most do not seek help at all. But the insights are enough to take seriously.
Starting young and getting lost online quickly
Most participants started gambling before they were 24. Almost half even before they were 18. Instead of physical gambling halls or casinos, young gamblers are now more often choosing online platforms.
This switch to digital is not without consequences. Many participants reported playing on multiple gambling sites at the same time. Sometimes even on illegal platforms. This happened, for instance, because they were blocked in Cruks, or because legal alternatives did not yet exist.
And yes, almost everyone recognised the pattern: higher and higher stakes, the urge to make up for losses, and gambling every day. Once you start, it’s hard to stop.
Financial and mental hits are big
The damage cannot be measured in monetary terms alone, but the difference is striking. Half of the participants lost more than €50,000. But a quarter lost less than €1,000. So you don’t have to lose tens of thousands of euros to get into trouble.
Besides debts, many people struggle with stress, relationship problems and depressive feelings. Yet far from everyone stops in time. More than half joined AGOG only in the past two years. Usually after major problems at home or at work.
Gambling companies rarely intervene
Although gambling companies are legally obliged to intervene in cases of risky behaviour, in practice this hardly ever happens. More than two-thirds of the participants were never personally approached. Only 17 per cent were banned from playing.
And even then, it rarely works. Half of those who did get banned simply switched to another provider. So the problem is moved, not solved.
Temptation is everywhere
Quitting is hard. Especially when the incentives keep coming. Think gambling advertisements, arcades in the neighbourhood or even friends who keep playing.
The legalisation of online gambling has lowered the threshold. And with the increase in advertising campaigns, that barrier only seems to be blurring further.
“I feel like everyone is gambling now. And I don’t see less advertising anywhere, just more. What does this actually benefit us?” one participant wonders.
Kansspelautoriteit wants tougher action
The regulator says it takes the results seriously. More needs to be done to protect people. Think stricter limits, personal interventions and better education.
Because as long as the environment invites gambling, the risk remains. For those who have fallen once, the chance of relapse is always close at hand.