Netherlands councillor proposes online gambling age 24

Enschede councillor Meryam Sümer has proposed raising the Netherlands' minimum online gambling age from 18 to 24, citing local debt data showing one in five young people in the city is in debt, Dutch media reported May 22, 2026.

The proposal targets the 18-23 age bracket and, if adopted nationally, would set one of the highest minimum gambling ages in Europe. It also raises a regulatory tension the Dutch gambling authority has flagged before: higher age thresholds can push young adults toward unlicensed offshore operators where no consumer protections apply.

Source of the proposal

Sümer introduced the proposal during a city council session focused on local debt data. According to her statement, Enschede recorded 12,145 cases of problematic debt in 2025, with young people disproportionately affected. "One in five young people in Enschede is in debt," Sümer said, according to local news reports. She argued that raising the online gambling age to 24 would act as a protective measure against gambling-related harm. The detailed breakdown of youth debt cases directly linked to gambling has not been published.

Existing protections for under-24s

The Netherlands already restricts gambling advertising targeting people under 24 and imposes a €150 monthly deposit limit for players aged 18 to 24. These measures were introduced under the 2021 Remote Gambling Act, which legalized and regulated online casinos. The Kansspelautoriteit enforces these rules and has issued fines to operators that breached advertising restrictions or failed to verify player ages.

Channelisation risk

The KSA has previously warned that raising the legal gambling age could drive young adults toward unlicensed operators. In 2025, when former state secretary Teun Struycken proposed raising the minimum age for online slots to 21, KSA chairman René Jansen said such a move "could also drive some young adults to unlicensed sites, where there are no protections at all." That concern applies to Sümer's proposal. Players aged 18-23 who lose access to regulated Dutch sites may turn to offshore casinos that do not enforce deposit limits, age verification, or advertising restrictions.

Broader political context

Sümer's proposal is not the first attempt to raise the Dutch gambling age. Struycken proposed raising the minimum age for online slots to 21 in 2025, a proposal that remains under discussion. Christian Union leader Mirjam Bikker has suggested a wider age limit of 21 for all forms of online gambling. Neither proposal has advanced to a vote in the national parliament.

Advertising enforcement

A 2026 study found that 31 of 277 Dutch gambling advertisements on Meta platforms may have targeted age groups including 18 to 23-year-olds. The finding has not been independently verified but suggests existing advertising restrictions may not be fully effective. The KSA fined a licensed operator €900,000 in 2024 for targeted ads that reached underage audiences.

What happens next

Enschede cannot unilaterally change national gambling law. Any change to the minimum age would require the Dutch national government to introduce and pass legislation. no timeline for such legislation has been announced. Sümer's proposal will likely be debated in Enschede's city council before any formal request is sent to national authorities. The Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security, which oversees gambling policy, has not commented on the proposal.