The Dutch Gaming Authority has rewritten its affordability guidance after inspections found operators inflating deposit limits with players’ savings — and warns fresh spot checks are coming.
The Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gambling regulator, published updated “good and bad practices” guidance for the statutory deposit means test on July 2, 2026, telling licensed online casino and gaming operators that monthly limits must be based exclusively on a player’s structural, recurring income. The change affects every operator licensed in the Netherlands, closes a loophole that let savings and one-off payments inflate deposit ceilings, and comes with a warning that a new round of sample inspections will follow.
Key Facts:
• Since October 2024, Dutch-licensed operators must run a means test before players deposit more than €300 net a month (ages 18–24) or €700 (24 and over) — Kansspelautoriteit
• KSA sample checks of 20 licence holders led to 10 improvement interviews, three formal warnings and one binding instruction — Kansspelautoriteit
• The updated guidance lists 13 examples of bad practice, including counting savings, home equity or a partner’s income as affordability — Kansspelautoriteit
• Public support for the deposit-limit regime rose from 76% to 82% among 1,507 survey respondents — iGaming Business
What has the KSA changed?
The means test sits at the heart of the Dutch “duty of care” framework introduced in 2024. Whenever a player asks to deposit more than the default monthly ceilings, the operator must verify that the higher amount matches what the player can genuinely afford.
The KSA first issued good-and-bad-practices guidance in February 2025, but follow-up inspections of concrete affordability checks at 20 licence holders found persistent shortcomings. The most significant clarification in the July 2026 update is that liquid assets — savings, business assets, home equity, and one-off payments such as bonuses or gifts — must not be treated as income when setting a deposit limit. The regulator said its earlier wording had misled some operators into counting these assets, producing inflated limits that defeated the purpose of the test.
The revised document also flags common calculation errors, such as basing income on a player’s single highest payslip rather than an average, and accepting self-declared income that cannot be verified against documents.
Why does this matter for operators and players?
For operators, the update is a compliance reset backed by enforcement. The KSA’s sample checks have already produced 10 improvement interviews, three formal warnings and one binding instruction — the step immediately before formal sanctions under Dutch gambling law. The regulator has confirmed it will run further spot checks against the tightened standard, so licence holders that built affordability models around savings or partner income now need to rebuild them.
For players, the change narrows a gap in consumer protection. A limit calculated on structural income means a young adult cannot burn through inherited savings or a redundancy payment at a licensed casino simply because the balance made them look affluent on paper. The guidance also praises operators that go further, for example refusing operator-initiated limit increases above €300 for under-25s regardless of declared income, and applying less than the standard 30% of net income when setting recreational spending room for low-income players.
The approach mirrors a wider European tightening of affordability rules, from the UKGC’s £900,000 Betfred penalty over safer gambling gaps to Ireland’s new GRAI online licensing regime that took effect on July 1, 2026.
What happens next?
The KSA says correct application of the means test remains a supervisory priority and that new sample inspections of licence holders will follow the updated guidance. Operators that continue to count non-recurring assets as income risk escalation beyond warnings — the binding instruction already issued shows the regulator is prepared to compel changes. The guidance lands as Dutch-licensed operators also brace for a proposed near-total ban on online gambling advertising, keeping compliance costs in the sector on a rising path.
FAQ
Q: What is the Dutch gambling means test?
A: A mandatory affordability check that Dutch-licensed operators must run before letting a player deposit more than €300 net a month (ages 18–24) or €700 (24 and over).
Q: What counts as income under the new KSA guidance?
A: Only structural, recurring income such as salary. Savings, home equity, business assets, loans, a partner’s income and one-off payments are all excluded.
Q: What happens to operators that fail the standard?
A: The KSA has already issued 10 improvement interviews, three formal warnings and one binding instruction, and says further sample inspections are coming. The full update is on the Kansspelautoriteit website.
This article is informational analysis only and is not betting or financial advice. Gambling carries financial risk and can be addictive. If you or someone you know needs help, visit GamCare (UK), call 1-800-GAMBLER (US), or see our Responsible Gambling page.
