Gambling addiction no longer affects only adults of a certain age, but is becoming widespread among young people. As online gambling becomes commonplace, technology makes it accessible at any time, and its promotion expands, the consequences are being felt even in specialised care services.
Online gambling: an unregulated territory for young people
In the Netherlands, addiction treatment services are seeing a marked increase in young adults seeking help for addiction to legally authorised gambling. These new requests for treatment are no longer the preserve of older generations, but now disproportionately affect the 18-35 age group.
‘If we see ten people come in for addiction treatment, eight of them are under 35,’ says Bas Brons, a specialist therapist at SolutionS Verslavingszorg, an addiction treatment centre. ‘Everyone has an online casino in their pocket. Older people who come to us still go to physical casinos, but young people have already gone completely digital.’
One of the key factors highlighted by specialists is the normalisation of gambling in society. Unlike addictions linked to substances such as alcohol or cocaine, where there is still social recognition of the danger, gambling often enjoys a more ‘lenient’ image. Young people may think that if the state authorises these games, it means that they are safe, or at least not dangerous.
Bas Brons explains that the psychological mechanisms at play when placing a bet are not without consequence: just as with alcohol or drugs, gambling activates the brain’s reward system, releasing chemicals that provide immediate pleasure and encourage repetition. The difference lies in the absence of a strong social stigma surrounding gambling.
Figures that alarm specialists
Recent data confirm this concern. According to the latest report from the National Alcohol and Drugs Information System (LADIS), more than 2,700 people in the Netherlands sought help for gambling addiction in 2024, a sharp increase since the legal online gambling market opened in 2021.
Although partial, this statistic reveals a trend that has been confirmed in several international studies: access to and promotion of gambling are significant risk factors for the development of addictive behaviour in young people.
In interviews with people undergoing treatment, addiction often began at a very early age. Some had never set foot in a physical casino before turning to digital platforms, which shows how much the online environment has become the main gateway to addiction.
Insufficient support initiatives
In response to this phenomenon, tools and structures already exist to try to curb the growing epidemic. One of the flagship measures is Cruks, a national voluntary gambling exclusion register. Those who sign up can no longer gamble in physical casinos or on legal online platforms.
However, although these measures are positive, they remain insufficient if they are not accompanied by broader prevention efforts targeting young people. Specialists are calling for better enforcement of player protection obligations by operators, so that those showing signs of addiction can be identified and referred to support services before it is too late.
In several countries, studies indicate that current prevention and protection policies are still too weak. A WODC report highlights that mechanisms for dealing with risky behaviour are not sufficiently effective, particularly because operators often prioritise retaining players over protecting them.
The rise in gambling addiction among young adults is not an isolated or anecdotal phenomenon. Data and testimonials all point to the same conclusion: without concrete and reinforced measures, this crisis could continue to destroy lives and place a heavy burden on healthcare systems and society as a whole.