Michel Groothuizen opposes a total ban on advertising
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10 Feb 2026 •
Reading time: 3 minutes The chairman of the Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA), Michel Groothuizen, has publicly expressed his reservations about the coalition government’s plan to impose a total ban on gambling advertising.
The fight against gambling addiction and the protection of young gamblers are at the centre of the political debate in the Netherlands. But industry watchdog Michel Groothuizen does not share the coalition government’s enthusiasm for a total advertising ban.
Speaking on the television programme ‘EenVandaag’, the chairman of the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) said that a total ban was not the right instrument to win the war against the excesses of the industry.
The crushing shadow of the illegal market
Groothuizen’s main argument is based on an alarming statistical reality. By banning legal operators, who are already subject to strict restrictions, from communicating with the public, the State would only be tackling the tip of the iceberg.
The chairman of the KSA points out that the volume of advertising carried by illegal sites on social networks far exceeds that of regulated players.
The findings are stark: for every legal advert that is removed, dozens of illegal offers continue to target Dutch players. Groothuizen points to a striking proportionality factor, estimating that the advertising pressure of the black market is around fifty times greater than that of authorised operators.
For Groothuizen, depriving legal players of visibility would be tantamount to leaving the field open to platforms that do not respect any player protection measures.
Roda JC and the “negative numbers” initiative
To illustrate an educational alternative to an outright ban, Ksa has highlighted its partnership with football club Roda JC. At a recent match, the players wore negative shirt numbers, a strong symbolic action designed to represent the real financial losses suffered by sports bettors.
This awareness-raising campaign directly targets the normalisation of sports betting among minors and young adults. Michel Groothuizen was keen to pay tribute to Roda JC‘s ethics, pointing out that the club occupies a special place for the regulator as it has always refused to be sponsored by a gambling operator. While larger clubs such as Ajax and Feyenoord have not yet joined this type of initiative, the Ksa remains open to future collaboration with the Eredivisie giants.
A necessary dialogue with the government
Despite the restrictions already in place, including a total ban on online casino sponsorship of football shirts, the government still wants to get tougher.
Groothuizen fears that this rigidity will be counter-productive. By removing the points of reference for consumers, there is a critical risk that they will migrate en masse to unregulated sites, where there is no control over deposits or exclusion.
The chairman of the regulatory authority now hopes to be able to enter into an in-depth discussion with the new ministers. The aim is to define a strategy that genuinely protects the public without dismantling the legal framework that keeps gamblers under the regulator’s watchful eye.