Michel Groothuizen says national regulators need website blocking, payment disruption and stronger cross-border enforcement powers
Domestic enforcement alone cannot effectively pursue offshore operators that repeatedly change corporate identities and use international payment, technology and advertising networks, according to the Dutch regulator.
Kansspelautoriteit chair Michel Groothuizen called for greater European cooperation following the Dutch Parliament’s annual committee debate on gambling. He welcomed political support for stronger action but argued that the international nature of illegal gambling received insufficient attention.
The debate covered player protection, a possible increase in the minimum gambling age to 21, restrictions on the number of licence holders and an expansion of advertising controls.
Members also discussed a central login portal for licensed operators, although Groothuizen questioned whether access to every legal gambling site would need to pass through a single gateway.
Website blocking gains political support
Groothuizen welcomed a parliamentary request to introduce powers for blocking illegal gambling websites. The KSA has previously argued that blocking should form part of a broader enforcement toolkit.
The State Secretary also indicated that the government would examine whether regulators could use false identities when investigating illegal gambling operations.
However, Groothuizen said these national measures would remain limited unless supported by coordinated European enforcement.
Michel Groothuizen, Chair of Kansspelautoriteit
“We are fighting a worldwide network of ruthless criminal organisations with dedicated community police officers, while we should actually be deploying an international investigative service.”
Illegal market claims require stronger intervention
Groothuizen claimed that half of every euro gambled by Dutch consumers goes to the illegal market. He also estimated that the Netherlands loses more than €500m in tax revenue because unlicensed operators do not pay domestic gambling taxes.
These figures were presented in the chair’s commentary following the parliamentary debate. The blog did not include the underlying methodology or dataset.
Groothuizen argued that lost tax revenue is not the principal concern. Illegal operators do not follow Dutch player-protection requirements and may actively target people who have registered with Cruks, the Netherlands’ national gambling exclusion system.
The KSA recently warned about a gambling advertising website that allegedly imitated 113.nl, the Dutch suicide-prevention service. According to the regulator, illegal marketing frequently promotes gambling without Cruks checks as a way for excluded customers to bypass their gambling stop.
Offshore structures weaken financial penalties
The KSA has issued fines worth tens of millions of euros against unlicensed operators. Groothuizen said collecting those penalties can be difficult because companies change legal entities and establish themselves in jurisdictions beyond the regulator’s practical reach.
He cited the Comoros as one location used by operators facing action in European markets.
The chair also compared the turnover of the global illegal gambling market with the economic output of major countries. This was presented as an illustration of the sector’s scale rather than an independently documented estimate within the KSA article.
KSA targets payments, advertising and visibility
The regulator is trying to make illegal websites harder to find while creating barriers around deposits and withdrawals.
Its approach includes discussions with payment providers and financial institutions, as well as pressure on technology companies, social media platforms and search engines to limit services used by unlicensed operators.
Groothuizen said the Netherlands lacks sufficient influence to compel globally operating financial and technology companies to cooperate by itself.
Michel Groothuizen, Chair of Kansspelautoriteit
“It is naïve to hold on to the idea that we only need a well-regulated legal national market and a national regulator to tackle this problem.”
He argued that illegal operators already work across borders, with corporate structures, advertising, payment flows and digital infrastructure often located in different jurisdictions.
European enforcement becomes central demand
Groothuizen called for European rules and enforcement arrangements capable of coordinating regulators, financial institutions and technology companies.
He said the State Secretary recognised the need for international action but warned that it had not yet developed into a sufficiently concrete programme.
Without greater political attention, he believes European measures could receive limited departmental resources among other gambling policy priorities.
Michel Groothuizen, Chair of Kansspelautoriteit
“Illegal providers have been operating across borders for a long time. Their entire habitat is international, from money flows to advertisements on social media. Real impact requires enforcement power at European level.”
