Almost half of all new online gambling accounts among Dutch consumers aged 18 to 24 were opened by 18-year-olds, according to fresh research from the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA).
The findings form part of a broader package of three new research studies examining gambling habits among young people across the Netherlands.
The KSA report analysed 15,761 newly opened online gambling accounts with recorded betting activity during May 2025, tracking player behaviour across the first three months.
Of those accounts, 5,244 belonged to young adults aged 18 to 24, with 2,144 accounts, representing 41%, held by 18-year-olds specifically.
Notably, 11% of those accounts were opened on the customer’s 18th birthday, while 38% were opened within one month of the user turning 18.
The study also tested an existing KSA theory about whether young adults typically progress from online sports betting into casino games, but the data did not support a straightforward transition between the two products.
Among accounts that initially used only casino games, 97% continued with casino games the following month, while 80% of sports-betting-only accounts remained with sports betting.
Where customers used both products in their first month, 57% moved to a different product the following month, with 73% of those switching exclusively to casino play.
In terms of frequency, 18-year-olds gambled more often during their first three months than those aged 19 to 24, averaging 12 gambling days per month compared to 10 for the older group.
A second KSA-led study drew on responses from 29,724 students aged 15 and over, with underage gambling emerging as a persistent and serious concern for the regulator.
Some 28% of those aged 15 to 17 reported gambling in the previous 12 months, despite gambling being legally prohibited for under-18s across the Netherlands.
Among underage students who gambled, 51% participated in at least one of three product categories identified as carrying the highest risk of gambling harm: casino games, sports betting, or gaming machines.
Scratchcards were the most popular product among underage gamblers at 46%, followed by bingo at 34% and gaming machines at 28%.
A striking gap emerged between online and land-based gambling risk, with 78% of underage students gambling exclusively online participating in at least one high-risk product category, compared to just 34% of those gambling only in physical locations.
The third study, conducted by YoungWorks, examined how under-18s first encounter gambling and how their behaviour develops over time as they age.
YoungWorks found that gambling was frequently introduced through social and family settings, with early experiences involving scratchcards and betting with friends treated as entirely normal.
The research also found that young people can easily circumvent the 18+ age restriction, with some participants reporting they used gambling accounts belonging to older friends, siblings, or parents.
Researchers further noted that early gambling experiences were often framed as fun, social activities rather than recognised as gambling, particularly when occurring within family environments.
Some respondents said their parents helped normalise gambling directly by paying stakes or lending their own accounts, highlighting the significant role family dynamics play in shaping early attitudes.
In response to the findings, the KSA said it will continue work to determine what additional protective measures are needed, adding that this is already being progressed in collaboration with the government as part of a wider initiative.
