The Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) has issued new guidelines related to the mandatory means test for online gambling players, prompted by inspections that uncovered continued issues in the industry despite previous advancements.
These updated guidelines clarify how operators should evaluate players’ financial capability to handle higher deposit limits in compliance with the Dutch responsible-gaming regulations.
Starting in October 2024, licensed online gambling operators in the Netherlands must conduct a means test whenever players wish to deposit amounts exceeding established monthly limits. Specifically, these limits are set at €300 for players aged 18 to 24 and €700 for those aged 24 and older.
This means test aims to protect players from gambling beyond their financial means and is a core element of the KSA’s “duty of care” initiative introduced in 2024.
The updated document, released this week, elaborates on the “good and bad practices” previously mentioned in the initial guidance from February 2025. One critical clarification made is that monthly deposit limits must rely solely on a player’s structural, or recurring, income.
Assets that are liquid, such as savings or home equity, along with one-time financial gains like bonuses, cannot be considered regular income when assessing a player’s affordability.
The KSA pointed out that prior language had confused some operators, leading them to mistakenly include these non-recurring resources, thereby inflating allowable deposit limits.
After the first round of guidance, the KSA reviewed 20 license holders and found persistent failures to comply with the regulations, as well as procedural shortcomings in certain cases. Enforcement measures so far have encompassed 10 improvement discussions, three formal warnings, and one binding directive.
The regulator has committed to ongoing oversight to ensure that the stricter guidelines are fully implemented.
An original report issued in October of the previous year indicated a rise in support for the deposit limits, with approval increasing from 76% two years earlier to 82% among 1,507 respondents.
The new guidance additionally showcases several examples of effective practices by operators. These include a ban on operator-initiated increases in deposit limits beyond €300 monthly for young adults, irrespective of reported income, and adopting a lower net income proportion than the usual 30% for low-income players when determining safe recreational spending.
Operators may also permit a one-time deposit that exceeds a player's limit prior to enforcing a hard cap of either €300 or €700, contingent on the completion of the necessary means test.
Moreover, the guidance stresses the need for meticulous documentation of how net deposit limits are established and for keeping this documentation in players’ records.
Operators are encouraged to utilize multiple recent payslips or to average cumulative pay over a specified period to more accurately assess a player's monthly earning capacity.
On the flip side, the revised guidelines spell out 13 classifications of “bad practice” that operators should steer clear of. These include accepting income declarations based solely on player self-reports or unverifiable documentation, as well as failing to uphold bonus restrictions for a minimum of 30 days following a deposit limit adjustment.
The guidance also highlights frequent calculation mistakes, such as inflating a player's net income by relying on their highest payslip rather than an average.
Other unacceptable practices noted include considering liquid assets, a partner’s income, loans, or designated social benefits as structural income.
