Trimbos: a 2026-2028 strategy against addiction

The Trimbos Institute has just released its new multi-year strategy for the 2026-2028 period, a framework document that aligns its scientific priorities with the public health ambitions of the new Dutch government.

The rollout of Trimbos’s new roadmap is no coincidence. From the outset, the institute highlights total convergence with the current government’s coalition agreement, which aims to build the healthiest generation in the history of the Netherlands.

For the Trimbos Institute, health is not limited to hospital care but plays out in the daily lives of citizens: at work, at school, and in the digital environment. It places prevention at the top of national priorities and reminds us that the foundations are already in place.

It is not a matter of reinventing the wheel, but of deploying the expertise accumulated over more than thirty years on a larger scale. The institute positions itself as the scientific engine capable of transforming political intentions into concrete results, relying on evidence-based data to reduce the societal damage linked to addictions.

The inseparable link between mental health and iGaming

One of the major points of this 2026-2028 strategy concerns the complex interaction between psychological disorders and the use of substances or addictive practices such as gambling.

The institute’s research demonstrates a bidirectional causality: people suffering from mental vulnerabilities are more susceptible to the mechanisms of excessive gambling, while addiction mechanically worsens existing psychiatric pathologies.

The Trimbos Institute points directly at the consequences of the opening of the online gambling market in the Netherlands. According to their analyses, the liberalization of the iGaming offer has led to a significant increase in problem gambling behavior.

This observation serves as the basis for a constructive critique of current regulations, with the institute calling on legislators to base their future decisions on independent and updated knowledge rather than on commercial or budgetary pressures.

The Gambling Expertise Center: a major lever

Launched in late 2024, the Gambling Expertise Center (Expertisecentrum Gokken) becomes the cornerstone of this strategy for the next three years. This specialized hub’s mission is to centralize knowledge for health professionals and regulators.

Missions of the Expertise Center	Operational objectives
Data collection	Analyze the evolution of online and land-based gambling practices.
Policy advice	Evaluate the impact of laws on players’ mental health.
Support for caregivers	Provide intervention protocols for gambling disorders.
Prevention	Develop awareness tools for young adults.

The institute insists on the need for decision-makers to have a clear vision of the effectiveness of player protection measures, such as deposit limits or self-exclusion systems, in order to adjust the legal framework in real time.

The economic and societal impact of addictions

To convince of the urgency of investing in prevention, Trimbos highlights striking figures.

The social costs associated with mental disorders among Dutch adults are estimated at 19.2 billion euros per year, a sum largely attributable to lost productivity.

In the gambling sector, these losses often manifest through household over-indebtedness, family breakdowns, and psychological distress that weighs heavily on the national healthcare system.

The institute also emphasizes the growing influence of digital technology and artificial intelligence. The personalization algorithms used by online casino operators can exacerbate risks for vulnerable profiles. Through its Expertise Center on Digitalization and Well-being, Trimbos plans to closely study these new technologies to propose safeguards adapted to the era of AI.

A vision for 2028: resilience and responsibility

The Trimbos Institute’s strategy for 2026-2028 is intended to be a call to action for a more resilient society. By asserting that a nation’s strength is measured not only by its economic power but by the health of its citizens, the organization urges the government not to shy away from stricter regulations if scientific data demands them.

The institute concludes by reminding that while the government is ready to get to work, the Trimbos teams are already on the ground to transform these ambitions into a lasting reality for the Dutch population.