The Dutch gambling regulator has found a sharp increase in online betting and casino registrations around young people’s 18th birthdays, adding to concerns about how early exposure to gambling may influence behaviour once they reach the legal age.
The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) published three studies examining gambling among minors and young adults, including account activity at licensed online operators, gambling habits among vocational students and the ways children first encounter gambling.
One of the clearest findings was the unusually high number of accounts opened by newly eligible 18-year-olds. Among accounts belonging to people aged 18 to 24, 41% were held by 18-year-olds. KSA data covering registrations during several periods in 2024 and 2025 showed that 11% of accounts opened by 18-year-olds were created on their birthday, while 38% were opened within one month of turning 18.
The regulator said one possible explanation is that some teenagers had already been exposed to gambling before reaching adulthood and were waiting until they became legally eligible to create their own account.
Casino games dominate first activity
The KSA analysed 15,761 accounts that were opened between 1 and 7 May 2025 and had recorded at least one wager during that month. Young adults aged 18 to 24 accounted for 33% of that sample, while 18-year-olds alone represented 14% of all accounts studied.
The data also challenged the regulator’s previous assumption that sports betting commonly acts as the first step into online gambling before users move towards casino products.
Around 72% of young-adult accounts initially used only online casino games, compared with 11% that began exclusively with sports betting. Among 18-year-olds specifically, 66% used casino products during their first gambling month, while 26% participated in both casino games and sports betting.
Players who started with one product generally stayed with it. Some 97% of casino-only accounts continued with casino games in the following active month, while 80% of sports-only accounts remained with sports betting. Among customers who initially used both, 57% later switched product mix, with most of those moving to casino-only gambling.
Eighteen-year-olds also appeared to gamble more frequently than people aged 19 to 24, although they wagered less money. For accounts active during all three months studied, the median 18-year-old gambled on 12 days per month, compared with eight days among those aged 19 to 24.
Median stakes during the first gambling month were €88 for 18-year-olds, compared with €193 for people aged 19 to 24. Across all young adults, the median amount wagered per gambling day in the first month was €111, against €209 among players aged 24 and above.
The results reinforce earlier KSA monitoring showing that young adults remain disproportionately represented in the regulated online market. During the second half of 2025, people aged 18 to 24 accounted for 22% of active player accounts despite representing 9.3% of the Dutch adult population. Their average losses per account were nevertheless lower than those of older players.
Gambling exposure can begin years earlier
A separate qualitative study commissioned by the KSA and carried out by Youngworks examined how gambling becomes part of young people’s lives before they are legally permitted to participate.
The research involved 50 people aged 16 to 21 and found that first encounters with gambling could occur from around eight years old, frequently in family settings. Examples included receiving scratchcards, participating in lotteries or playing games involving money or prizes at home. Children often did not view these activities as gambling at the time.
As participants grew older, gambling increasingly became a social activity involving friends. The research found that minors could also gain access to online gambling indirectly through accounts belonging to older relatives or friends.
That aligns with a separate KSA investigation completed in April 2026, which concluded that minors generally find it very difficult to create accounts directly with licensed Dutch operators. When legal online gambling by minors does happen, the regulator said it is more commonly facilitated through accounts owned by adults.
MBO study highlights continued youth participation
The third study examined responses from 29,724 students in Dutch MBO vocational education during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years.
Overall, 32% said they had gambled during the previous 12 months. That included 28% of students aged 15 to 17 and 39% of those aged 18 or above. Most participation remained occasional, with 22% of the full sample gambling only a few times per year and 10% gambling monthly or more. Around 2% reported experiencing problems related to their gambling.
The KSA said the combined findings provide further evidence that gambling has become normalised for some young people before adulthood, potentially lowering the threshold for joining licensed gambling sites after turning 18.
The research comes as the Dutch government moves towards tighter gambling controls. In June, the cabinet proposed banning advertising for online gambling as well as promotional bonuses and introducing cross-operator deposit limits. The government said younger consumers require particular protection because of their greater vulnerability to gambling-related harm.