Lawmakers seek action on teen online gambling

Concerns have been expressed in the Dutch government’s House of Representatives about young people who gamble online secretly. An investigation revealed that minors can easily deposit money at illegal online casinos via their Dutch bank accounts. This raises serious questions.

Because how can this happen and what is the government doing about it?

Members of Parliament ask questions about the gambling behaviour of young people

The House of Representatives now wants to know what the cabinet is going to do to stop this. The committees for Digital Affairs, Home Affairs, Economic Affairs and Justice and Security have all submitted their questions. This is necessary to gain clarity about the government’s plans. Especially when it comes to protecting young people from gambling.

The questions have been collected and will be sent to the ministries. They must answer them in writing so that the Members of Parliament are well prepared for the debate on the budget. For Justice and Security, that debate will take place on 18 November.

How can young people gamble online so easily?

One of the most important questions is about how easily young people can gamble with illegal providers. Research by the Quality Mark for Responsible Affiliates (KVA) shows that many online casinos do not carry out any checks on who is playing. Young people can simply create an account and deposit money.

And without their age being checked. And that is worrying, because these casinos often do not have a license and are located in places like Costa Rica or Kahnawake. Where the rules are much looser or not at all.

These kinds of practices entail major risks, especially because the online casinos that operate without a license are much less strict on issues such as identity checks. This allows young people to participate in gambling games without any problems, while they should not actually start doing so at all.

Young people deposit money at illegal casinos without checks

In May 2024, the KVA showed how dangerously easy it is for young people to play at these illegal casinos. A minor could simply create an account and deposit money via a youth account at a Dutch bank. Without anyone noticing. This has set off many alarm bells.

De Volkskrant reported the story. Now members of parliament want to know what the government is going to do about this. Because it is about more than just losing money. Young people are exposed to the temptation of gambling. Something they cannot even imagine in their younger years.

State Secretary Struycken presents new plans

State Secretary for Legal Protection, Teun Struycken, will present a progress report this week. In it, he is expected to discuss what the government is going to do to protect young people from online gambling.

Are there any concrete measures in the making? We will have to wait and see. What is clear is that there is increasing pressure on the government to intervene quickly.