Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gambling authority, has divested more funds into the reduction of problem gambling in the Netherlands.
A total of five new projects have been announced as the recipients of grants from the KSA’s Addiction Prevention Fund. This aids the treatment and prevention of gambling-related harm among the Dutch population – 20% of which is currently at a moderate to high risk of harmful behaviour, according to the regulator.
One grant will go to the Anonymous Gamblers Foundation (AGOG), a support group for compulsive gamblers, for the training of new counsellors. Additionally, AGOG will further explore the idea of launching digital counselling aimed at residents living in areas where on-site meetings are not possible.
The Dutch Association for Psychiatry (NVvP) is another grant recipient under the Addiction Prevention Fund, which will be used to create specialised guidelines for treating gambling disorders.
As the NVvP currently informs mental health professionals through a set of recommendations, adding problem gambling will aim to help with the creation of a healthcare system that is better suited to treat gambling harm patients.
Another grant recipient in the field of healthcare is the independent mental health research centre, the Trimbos Institute, which has rolled out two pilot programmes to extend its expertise into problem gambling.
The first project will explore means to increase gambling education among the youth, carrying out surveys, data monitoring, and fostering discussions with municipalities and stakeholders.
Through the second project, the Trimbos Institute will focus on improving the mechanisms currently in place for employers to offer effective support towards staff that might be facing gambling harm.
Stichting Naast is the next entity on the list, which will use the subsidy to create webinars, individual guidance and informative newsletters as tools to support the close circles of problem gamblers.
The Addiction Prevention Fund has been an invaluable asset in tackling problem gambling in the Netherlands, and is set to continue to do so throughout 2026 as the KSA rolls up its sleeves as it prepares to face dwindling channelisation rates and a rise in black market prominence.