Netherlands Councillor Advocates for Raising Gambling Age to 24

(AsiaGameHub) –   Meryam Sümer, a councillor in Enschede, is urging Dutch legislators to increase the legal age for online gambling from 18 to 24, citing local statistics that reveal rising financial strain among youth.

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Key Takeaways

• According to Sümer, 20% of young residents in Enschede are currently facing debt.
• The initiative aims to boost the minimum age for online betting to 24.
• Existing Dutch regulations already classify individuals under 24 as a vulnerable demographic regarding deposit caps and gambling advertisements.

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Proposed Age Increase Sparks Concerns Over Market Channelisation

As a CDA councillor and social worker, Sümer associated the rise in youth debt with the accessibility of online betting, buy-now-pay-later schemes, and relentless online marketing. In 2025, Enschede registered 12,145 instances of severe debt, with 960 of those cases threatening eviction or the loss of essential utilities.

She remarked:

“A lot of young people lack the financial literacy required to handle various subscriptions, deferred payment plans, and the gambling promotions they encounter on social media and mobile gaming apps,”

To address this, she advocates for raising the gambling age. Sümer emphasized that the objective must be to minimize the “verleidingen” (temptations) associated with services that increase the risk of debt.

While the Netherlands currently bans gambling advertisements targeted at individuals under 24, a 2026 analysis of Meta promotions revealed that 31 out of 277 Dutch gambling ads potentially targeted audiences aged 18 to 23, highlighting ongoing challenges in regulatory enforcement.

Although raising the age limit could limit legal participation, it might not fully resolve the underlying issues. The Dutch government has already implemented stricter deposit controls for young adults, requiring operators to intervene if players under 24 exceed a €150 monthly deposit limit.

This suggests that more focused measures—such as rigorous affordability assessments, stricter ad policing, payment restrictions, and swift crackdowns on black-market sites—might be more effective. Furthermore, raising the legal age to 24 risks pushing young adults toward unregulated platforms, a concern previously voiced by the KSA chairman during 2025 discussions about a 21-year age limit for online slot machines.

Previously, former State Secretary Teun Struycken suggested raising the age requirement for online slots to 21. However, Christian Union leader Bikker questioned the feasibility of regulating a single sector independently, proposing instead a universal age limit of 21 for all forms of gambling.

Sümer is currently rallying other local officials and political groups to lobby national legislators. Since a minimum age of 24 would significantly exceed the standard European threshold of 18, any such policy would demand rigorous enforcement. Otherwise, licensed operators would be barred from serving young adults, while unregulated websites would remain easily accessible.