The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the gambling regulator in the Netherlands, has initiated two public-awareness campaigns designed to promote early discussions about gambling among young people and facilitate access to support services.
Announced on Monday, the KSA's initiatives target not only teenagers and young adults but also their parents, relatives, and friends, aiming to help them recognize signs of gambling-related harm.
The first campaign, OpenOverGokken, will roll out in early November and is primarily aimed at parents of individuals aged 16 to 25. It encourages caregivers to initiate conversations about gambling, framing it as a crucial discussion akin to topics like sex and online safety. This campaign leverages the OpenOverGokken.nl website, which was launched in 2025, providing independent resources to assist parents in fostering these important conversations.
The second initiative, titled Gambling Stop (Gokstop), focuses on young adults who may either be facing gambling issues or are at increased risk of developing such problems. Its core message is that individuals can decide to stop gambling at any point, highlighting the importance of recognizing issues early on and supporting friends and family in taking the first step towards entering the national self-exclusion and support program.
These campaigns mark a shift from previous Gokstop messages, which dealt with life after stopping gambling, to a proactive emphasis on early intervention and accessible help. They aim to use relatable everyday scenarios to make seeking help feel more manageable.
The KSA notes that social media, online videos, advertising, and in-game content are significant channels through which young people encounter gambling, prompting local politician Meryam Sümer of the CDA to advocate for raising the minimum legal age for online gambling from 18 to 24.
The KSA intends to provide data on the effectiveness of these campaigns, measuring factors such as changes in public awareness, usage statistics for OpenOverGokken.nl, and registrations with Gokstop.
This initiative is timely, particularly in light of recent KSA reports revealing that individuals aged 18 to 23 constitute about 22% of all legal gambling accounts, despite making up only approximately 9.2% of the adult population. In the first half of 2026, these accounts averaged monthly losses of €34. Moreover, a prior survey indicated a marked increase in account registrations coinciding with users' 18th birthdays; in 2024-25, 11% of accounts for 18-year-olds were created on their birthday, while 38% were opened within the month following it.
