Dutch Regulator: 38% of 18-Year-Olds Sign Up Within a Month

Dutch regulator KSA and research agency Youngworks published three studies examining gambling prevalence among teenagers and young adults. Youngworks surveyed 50 respondents aged 16-21 and conducted 24 in-depth interviews, while KSA analyzed the first three months of activity for 15,761 accounts opened with licensed operators between May 1-7, 2025, alongside responses from 29,700 college students collected through the TestJeLeefstijl monitoring program.

The studies found that first exposure to gambling typically occurs between ages 8-12 through instant lotteries and family money games, with independent play among friends starting around ages 12-14 through informal football betting and poker. By ages 14-16, teens commonly begin playing with major iGaming operators, most frequently citing TOTO, bet365, and Unibet, often circumventing age restrictions using accounts belonging to adult friends or relatives. Among 18-24 year-old accounts, 72% played only online casino games in their first month, while 41% of that age group's accounts belonged specifically to 18-year-olds; 38% of those accounts were opened within a month of turning 18, and 11% on the birthday itself. Median daily stakes were €209 for players over 24, €111 for the 18-24 group, and €88 for 18-year-olds specifically.

KSA's data disproved the assumption that new players typically start with sports betting before moving to online casino games. Youngworks cautioned that its interview-based findings describe behavioral patterns without measuring their prevalence, and TestJeLeefstijl data covers only 2-4% of college students.