The Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) has revised its guidance regarding the mandatory means test for players in online gambling. This update comes after inspections uncovered ongoing issues in the sector, despite previous improvements.
The new guidelines clarify how operators must evaluate players’ capacity to afford higher deposit limits within the framework of responsible gaming in the Netherlands.
Starting October 2024, licensed online gambling operators are required to conduct a means test for players wishing to deposit amounts exceeding the established monthly limits. Specifically, these limits are set at €300 for users aged 18 to 24, and €700 for those 24 and older.
The means test aims to prevent players from gambling beyond their financial capabilities and is a crucial aspect of the KSA’s duty of care framework introduced in 2024.
The revised guidance was published this week and addresses ambiguities present in the initial document released in February 2025. A key point clarified is that monthly deposit limits must be based solely on players' structural income.
Crucially, assets such as savings, business holdings, home equity, or one-off payments like bonuses and gifts cannot be classified as regular income when assessing affordability. The KSA noted that earlier phrasing had led some operators to mistakenly include these non-recurring assets, resulting in improperly high deposit limits.
After issuing the first guidance, the KSA reviewed 20 licensed operators and found ongoing non-compliance and procedural deficiencies. As a result, it has conducted ten improvement interviews, issued three formal warnings, and given one binding instruction.
To ensure implementation of the updated standards, the KSA plans to continue its focused supervision and increase oversight.
A report published in October found that support for the deposit limits among 1,507 respondents rose from 76% two years ago to 82% recently.
The new guidance outlines several positive practices for operators. For instance, it prohibits them from increasing deposit limits above €300 per month for young adults irrespective of their reported income, and suggests a lower proportion of net income than the usual 30% for calculating safe spending limits for low-income players.
Operators are also encouraged to allow a one-time deposit exceeding a player's limit before enforcing a cap of €300 or €700 if the required means test hasn't been completed. Additionally, the importance of thoroughly documenting the calculation of net deposit limits and retaining this evidence in player records is emphasized.
The guidelines recommend the use of multiple recent payslips or averaging income over a designated period to establish a player’s monthly earnings more accurately.
However, the revised guidance also identifies 13 forms of 'bad practice' that operators should avoid. These include accepting self-declared income without verification and imposing bonus restrictions for less than the required 30 days following a limit intervention.
The guidance addresses common calculation errors, such as inflating a player’s net income based on the highest payslip rather than an average. Other problematic practices noted include classifying liquid assets, a partner's income, loans, or earmarked social benefits as structural income.
