The Dutch regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has reported that market GGR for authorized playing has fallen because the introduction of deposit limits, regardless of rising account numbers.
For the complete 12 months, KSA reported in its spring report that gross gaming income (GGR) in 2024 was €1.47 billion ($1.58 billion/£1.2 billion), up 6% year-on-year.
Nevertheless, within the second half of 2024, GGR was 10% decrease than within the first half of the 12 months at €697 million. KSA’s GGR numbers cowl the 12-month interval ending 31 December 2024.
Impacting the outcomes are KSA safety measures that got here into drive final October.
“This lower might be as a consequence of each the height throughout the European Soccer Championship in June 2024 and the brand new guidelines that ought to higher shield gamers within the on-line playing market,” KSA acknowledged.
New guidelines included deposit thresholds related to a participant’s internet deposit throughout a calendar month. If a gambler’s internet deposits attain €700 (£583/$777) in a month, operators are obligated to dam any additional deposits. A lowered deposit restrict of €300 was launched for gamblers between 18 and 25.
Gamblers might enchantment and enhance their limits by offering acceptable proof of upper incomes which might be sustainable.
The Dutch watchdog has additionally famous that within the final six months the typical variety of accounts was up from 1.1 million to 1.19 million. It has estimated that 788,000 gamers had been energetic with authorized suppliers within the final six months, representing 5.4% of the Netherlands’ grownup inhabitants.
On-line channelisation
The KSA had beforehand judged that participant channelisation for on-line choices stood at a secure 91%, because the overwhelming majority of gamers out there used authorized operators.
Nevertheless, the regulator has launched a brand new measuring methodology that’s based mostly on the Dutch lottery, which appears to be like at market worth. It has found that when it comes to GGR, channelisation is way decrease than anticipated.
It had positioned GGR channelisation at 87% in 2024, based mostly on figures offered by advisory agency H2 Playing Capital.
Beneath the brand new methodology, channelisation GGR worth was estimated to be at 58% within the first half of 2024. This has dropped to a mean of fifty% within the second half of the 12 months following the introduction of the deposit limits.
The regulator believes that downside playing has lowered with authorized suppliers however that, consequently, higher-value gamers have moved to unlawful choices. It discovered that half of the cash misplaced within the Dutch market now goes to unlicensed operators.
“The introduction of the coverage guidelines has led to a discount in extreme playing at authorized suppliers,” the KSA stated in a report revealed in February.
It famous that the variety of gamers who had losses higher than €1,000 had fallen, whereas the share of accounts with losses decrease than €1,000 had elevated.
“There’s a nice likelihood that heavy gamers have switched to unlawful suppliers, whereas leisure gamers nearly all proceed to play at authorized suppliers,” KSA acknowledged.
On-line on line casino video games keep the biggest GGR
On-line playing and the “on line casino video games towards the home” class accounted for 75% of whole GGR within the second half of 2024, in accordance with KSA’s newest report.
Sports activities betting’s GGR tends to fluctuate over the months, experiencing peaks throughout occasions such because the European Championship. KSA famous that the sports activities betting class decreased the least following the introduction of deposit limits.
“Earlier than the brand new participant safety guidelines, the typical loss was highest for accounts that performed each sports activities betting and on line casino video games,” KSA’s report stated. It added that “as of October, there is no such thing as a longer a distinction between accounts that solely play on line casino video games and accounts that additionally play sports activities betting”.
KSA additionally discovered that the loss from accounts that solely play sports activities betting was decrease than those who gambled on on line casino video games.