The Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) has revised its guidelines on the statutory means test for online gambling participants, following inspections that unveiled persistent issues despite sector improvements. The new guidance specifies how operators should evaluate players' financial capacity to manage higher deposit limits under the Dutch responsible-gaming framework.
Since October 2024, licensed online gambling providers in the Netherlands must conduct a means test for players wishing to deposit amounts exceeding predetermined monthly limits. These limits are set at €300 for players aged 18 to 24 and €700 for players 24 and older.
The means test aims to prevent players from gambling beyond their means and is integral to the KSA’s “duty of care” strategy established in 2024.
This week's updated document on “good and bad practices” addresses ambiguities found in initial guidelines issued in February 2025. A major clarification states that monthly deposit limits should be determined solely based on players’ structural (recurring) income. Notably, liquid assets—such as savings, business assets, home equity, or one-off payments like bonuses—should not be included as regular income in affordability assessments.
The KSA noted that past guidance had misled some operators into incorrectly incorporating these non-recurring assets, which led to inflated deposit limits. After releasing the initial guidance, the KSA conducted checks on 20 license holders and found persistent non-compliance and procedural weaknesses at several of them. Actions taken thus far include ten improvement interviews, three formal warnings, and one binding instruction.
To ensure compliance with new standards, the regulator plans to continue focused supervision and oversight. An earlier report published in October last year indicated that support for the deposit limits among 1,507 surveyed individuals rose from 76% two years ago to 82% now.
The updated guidance also outlines positive practices for operators, such as forbidding any operator-initiated increases in deposit limits over €300 per month for young adults, regardless of their declared income, and applying a reduced proportion of net income—less than the usual 30%—when calculating safe spending limits for low-income players.
Operators are encouraged to permit a one-time deposit that surpasses a player’s limit before enforcing the maximum caps of €300 or €700 if the necessary means test has not been completed. Additionally, the KSA emphasizes the importance of thorough documentation regarding how net deposit limits are formulated and urges operators to keep this evidence in player records.
The guidance also recommends using multiple recent payslips or averaging pay over a period to assess a player’s monthly income capacity more accurately.
In identifying “bad practices,” the revised guidance lists 13 actions operators should avoid. These include accepting unverified income based solely on player self-reports and not adhering to the mandatory 30-day waiting period after a deposit limit intervention before imposing bonus restrictions. Common calculation errors, such as miscalculating a player’s net income using their highest payslip instead of an average, are also highlighted. Additionally, operators should avoid counting liquid assets, a partner’s income, loans, or designated social benefits as structural income.
