Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Gaming Authority in the regulated market of Netherlands, has released on 4 April 2024 an official monitoring report of the Dutch gaming industry performance in 2023. The regulator’s report, the sixth published since the launch of legalized gaming operations in the country, reveals that online gambling operations increased in 2023. However, gross gaming result (GGR), i.e., the industry’s income after deduction of winnings paid to bettors, has increased at a significantly slower pace than in 2022 to show that the Dutch gambling market is growing ”less strongly than gambling markets in other countries,” according to the KSA press release.

EUR 1.39 Billion in GGR:

The regulator’s sixth monitoring report on online gambling is primarily based on the revenue figures. Thus, the press release indicates that the Dutch gaming industry achieved the gross gaming result of EUR 1.39 billion in 2023. Compared to the EUR 1.08 billion GGR figure reached in 2022, the latest annual result hit an almost 29 percent higher level. But, according to KSA, the gaming industry grew faster throughout 2022 than in 2023, which leveled the percentage growth. Finally, the second half of 2023 saw a 1% growth over the first six months to reportedly testify about a flat market tendency.

1.1 Million Accounts:

The authority reports that the market features an increased number of accounts but almost the same number of occasional gamblers. As reported, 1.1 million accounts in 2023 against 970,000 registered in the prior year, representing around 13 % larger numbers. As a player may open an account with any gaming operator, the reported number of accounts and players testifies about the 2023 player pool similar to the year prior. KSA estimates that around 448,000 players per month played a large part of accounts and that around 726,000 players engaged in online gambling in the second half of 2023.

Sluggish Growth:

Although the above H2 2023 figure shows that around 5% of the adult Dutch population gambled online over that period, the discrepancy between the number of active accounts and players supports the KSA’s argument about a sluggish growth of the market. These active players reportedly lost an average of 958 EUR over the more busy second half of 2023, or, respectively, 160 EUR per month against the 170 EURs averaged over the first half of the year.

Young Adults Holding 22% of Accounts:

According to the regulator, young adults also engaged in gambling operations in the subject period. The monitoring report paid special attention to the 18-23 age group, as it represents 9.5% of the population. Still, 22% of all accounts were held by this group in 2023 to reportedly almost mirror the 2022 percentage and indicate almost the same number of players over the last two years. Also, this group spent an average of 52 EUR per month, more than three times less than the 24+ population.

Keeping the Safe Gaming Target Percentage:

Another important part of the report refers to the safe gaming environment in the jurisdiction. In compliance with the KSA channelization strategy since the launch of online gambling operations in the Netherlands, the market was kept within the target range of at least 80% of players gambling with legal operators. According to the press release, this percentage was around 90% in 2023. Also, the July 2023 advertising ban has reportedly proven effective in testifying about the safe environment in the Dutch online gaming market, which is currently looking for stronger growth.