The Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) has strengthened its guidance on affordability checks for online gambling customers after inspections found that some licensed operators continued to apply the statutory means test incorrectly.
The revised guidance explains how operators should assess whether players can responsibly request higher monthly deposit limits under the Netherlands’ responsible gambling framework. The regulator said the changes address uncertainty that remained after its first guidance document was issued in February 2025.
Since October 2024, licensed online gambling operators in the Netherlands have been required to complete a means test whenever customers seek to exceed the country’s monthly deposit thresholds. Those limits stand at €300 net for players aged 18 to 24 and €700 for players aged 24 and above.
KSA Clarifies How Income Should Be Calculated
The updated guidance states that operators must calculate monthly deposit limits using only a player’s recurring income. The KSA said structural earnings should form the basis of affordability assessments, while savings, business assets, home equity and one-off income such as bonuses or gifts should not count as regular income.
According to the regulator, wording in the earlier guidance led some operators to include non-recurring financial resources when setting deposit limits. That approach resulted in affordability calculations that exceeded what the regulator considers appropriate.
The KSA reviewed 20 licence holders after publishing the original guidance and found that, although standards had improved, several operators still failed to comply fully or showed weaknesses in their procedures. Regulatory action has included 10 improvement interviews, three formal warnings and one binding instruction. The authority said it will continue targeted supervision to confirm that operators implement the revised guidance correctly.
A report first published in October last year found that public support for deposit limits had increased. Among 1,507 respondents, approval rose from 76% two years earlier to 82%.
Regulator Highlights Good and Bad Practices
Alongside the revised requirements, the KSA published examples of approaches it considers appropriate. The guidance recommends that operators do not initiate increases above the €300 monthly threshold for young adults, regardless of declared income. It also encourages operators to apply a lower percentage than the standard 30% of net income when determining suitable gambling budgets for lower-income customers.
The regulator further recommends allowing a single deposit above a player’s existing limit before applying the mandatory €300 or €700 cap when the required means test has not yet been completed.
The guidance also calls on operators to document how they calculate deposit limits and retain supporting evidence in player files. It advises using several recent payslips or averaging income over a defined period to establish a more reliable picture of a customer’s monthly earnings.
The KSA also identified 13 examples of practices operators should avoid. These include relying only on player declarations that cannot be verified, using the highest payslip instead of average earnings when calculating income, shortening the mandatory 30-day bonus restriction after a deposit limit intervention, and treating savings, loans, a partner’s income or earmarked social benefits as structural income when assessing affordability.
Source:
“KSA tightens rules on online gambling deposit means testing”, igamingbusiness.com, Jul 3, 2026
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