Since online gambling was legalized in the Netherlands, the need to analyze player behavior in detail has never been more pressing. However, according to a study commissioned by the WODC (Netherlands Organization for Legal Research), access to individual data remains extremely limited. This obstacle not only hinders research into addiction prevention, but also complicates the evaluation of public policy.
The underlying problem: separate, anonymized data that is difficult to use
When licensed online gambling operators were required by law to share data with researchers, the idea seemed promising. However, according to the Dialogic report for the WODC, this anonymized data does not allow researchers to reconstruct a player’s journey across multiple platforms. Each operator applies its own anonymization method, resulting in different pseudonyms that make it impossible to link data across providers.
This compartmentalization hinders the study of gaming trajectories: how can we track a player who is active on multiple sites? It is impossible today. Even essential variables such as age, socioeconomic status, gender, or other background characteristics cannot be linked to gaming behavior, since anonymization removes any possibility of cross-referencing with contextual data.
In addition, the legal framework severely limits access: only research aimed at preventing addiction can currently receive this data. Broader studies on the societal impact of gambling or other forms of harm are excluded by law.
Legal and institutional barriers
These barriers are not only technical: they are deeply rooted in the legal framework. The GDPR classifies gambling data as “sensitive data,” which requires very strict levels of confidentiality and safeguards.
In addition, the regulatory authority, the Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa), plays a paradoxical role: it receives structured data from operators for monitoring purposes, but cannot share this data with researchers for non-regulatory studies.
Despite the legal obligation for licensed operators to provide anonymized data, the process is considered ineffective: according to Dialogic, it is cumbersome, non-standardized, and subject to delays.
Scenarios to break the deadlock
To overcome these obstacles, Dialogic and the WODC propose four avenues for reform, each with its own advantages and challenges.
The first option is to restructure the current process: simplify requests, standardize procedures, and give the Ksa more responsibility for coordinating researchers’ requests. This would make data delivery more fluid without radically changing the legal framework. However, this solution would still not allow data to be linked between operators or personal characteristics to be added.
Another option is to create a decentralized platform. Each operator would retain its data, but a secure system would allow researchers to access it via a technical interface. This model protects privacy, but requires significant IT investment and complex management to ensure that pseudonyms remain consistent.
A third party, or the Ksa if its remit is expanded, would manage pseudonyms for all players, making it possible to cross-reference data between operators. However, this would require a change in the law to grant this institution the necessary mandate.
The Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek could collect the data via its secure Micro-Data structure. This mechanism would not only make it possible to link gaming behavior across platforms, but also to associate it with socio-demographic data, in a highly protected environment.
Why the issue goes far beyond addiction
A better view of the data is not only valuable from a scientific perspective: it is also an essential public policy tool. If researchers can analyze how certain players migrate from one operator to another, or how intervention measures (pop-ups, caps, exclusion) actually influence behavior, then the authorities can adapt regulations in a more targeted manner.
Currently, without these data links, the societal effects—such as the social cost of gambling, the economic impact, or the profile of at-risk gamblers—remain largely invisible.
The lack of access to individualized player data is a major obstacle to research on online gambling in the Netherlands. The data that operators are legally required to share is insufficient to reconstruct trajectories, analyze vulnerability, or define effective prevention strategies. However, the solutions outlined—a sharing platform, a central intermediary, and the use of CBS—offer promising prospects.