Dutch parliament rejects motion for blanket gambling advertising ban
MPs voted 76 to 64 against a proposal to prohibit all gambling advertising, with parliament instead backing tougher enforcement against illegal operators, according to EGR.
The Dutch House of Representatives has voted down a motion that would have banned gambling advertising outright across both online and land-based operators, according to EGR.
The motion, tabled by MP Diederik van Dijk during a parliamentary voting session on 29 September 2026, fell 12 seats short of a majority, with 64 members in favour and 76 against, EGR reported.
Van Dijk's proposal argued that existing restrictions on online gambling marketing risked pushing operators to redirect their promotional spend towards physical gambling products and venues instead, EGR said. A blanket ban covering all channels was put forward as a way of closing that perceived loophole.
The motion drew backing from several political parties and reflected what EGR described as growing political concern over gambling-related harm. It nonetheless failed to secure enough support to pass.
EGR had published its own analysis ahead of the vote warning that a total prohibition could prove counterproductive. The outlet argued that advertising plays a role in keeping licensed operators visible to consumers, which supports channelisation into the regulated market rather than unlicensed offshore sites.
When the Dutch regulated online gambling market launched in October 2021, channelisation was one of its core policy aims. EGR noted that the policy had considerable early success, with around 93% of Dutch players gambling exclusively with licensed operators by mid-2023.
Advertising rules have tightened substantially since then. Untargeted advertising for online gambling, including television, radio, billboard and public transport promotion, has been banned since July 2023 under the Besluit Orka, the Decree on Untargeted Advertising for Remote Gambling, EGR reported.
Targeted online advertising remains permitted but only under strict conditions. Licensed operators must show that marketing is directed predominantly at adults and does not reach vulnerable groups, while affiliate marketing continues to be allowed subject to detailed audience and consumer protection requirements, according to EGR.
EGR's pre-vote assessment warned that removing licensed operators' visibility entirely would not necessarily stop consumers from seeking gambling products. Instead, it suggested players could be driven towards unlicensed platforms operating outside Dutch supervision and without the same consumer protection safeguards.
Rather than extending the ban, parliament used the same voting session to adopt several motions aimed at the illegal market. These include giving the Netherlands Gambling Authority, the KSA, additional enforcement tools such as DNS blocking, and measures to hold large online platforms accountable when illegal gambling adverts remain visible after removal requests, EGR reported.
EGR characterised the vote's outcome as evidence of a preference among MPs for targeted interventions addressing specific risks, rather than measures that would strip licensed operators of visibility altogether.