In the Netherlands, a striking 38% of accounts for 18-year-old players are opened within the first month after they reach adulthood. This finding comes from three studies released by the KSA regulator and Youngworks, focusing on gambling prevalence among teenagers and young adults.
Youngworks surveyed 50 respondents aged 16 to 21 and conducted 24 in-depth interviews. Meanwhile, the regulator analyzed the first three months of activity from 15,761 accounts opened with licensed operators between May 1 and May 7, 2025. Additionally, responses from 29,700 college students were gathered from the TestJeLeefstijl monitoring.
Key insights from the research include:
- Pre-Adulthood: Many young people are introduced to gambling between the ages of 8-12 through family activities like instant lotteries and money games.
- By ages 12-14, they start gambling independently with friends, often through online sports betting and poker.
- At ages 14-16, they begin playing with major iGaming operators, with TOTO, bet365, and Unibet frequently mentioned.
- Teenagers often bypass age restrictions using accounts of adult friends and relatives.
Player Behavior After First Registration:
- 72% of accounts for players aged 18-24 played only in online casinos during their first month.
- 11% of accounts for this age group made only sports bets in the same timeframe.
- Among accounts for 18-24 year-olds, 41% are 18-year-olds, representing 14% of all new accounts.
- 38% of 18-year-olds opened their accounts in the first month after turning 18.
- 11% opened accounts on their birthday.
In terms of median stakes, players over 24 wagered €209 per gaming day in their first month, while those aged 18-24 wagered €111, and 18-year-olds wagered €88.
College Students:
- 78% of students aged 15-17 play only online and choose risky products like casinos and betting.
- 75% of adult students also play only online and select risky products.
- 49% of 15-17 year-olds showing signs of gambling addiction play only online.
- 46% of adult students with similar signs also play only online.
The regulator's data contradicts the hypothesis that new players typically start with sports betting before transitioning to online casinos. Youngworks' conclusions are based on interviews and explain the mechanics of teenage behavior without assessing its scale, thus the authors do not generalize the results to all Dutch teenagers. The TestJeLeefstijl data covers only 2-4% of college students and does not reflect the behavior of all students.