TLDR
- Dutch MPs tabled more than eight gambling motions, most aimed at illegal operators.
- Labour MPs proposed a public blacklist of unlicensed gambling sites for players and companies to use.
- A motion supports DNS blocking of foreign gambling sites, with warnings pointing users to support services.
- One MP wants the gambling tax cut from 37.8% back to 34.2%, but the government called it premature.
- The government declined to back a study on regulating prediction markets like Polymarket. Votes are set for September 29.
Dutch lawmakers debated a series of gambling motions on Wednesday. Most of the proposals were aimed at stopping illegal gambling operators.
More than eight motions were tabled. They ranged from a public blacklist of unlicensed sites to new DNS blocking powers. Others dealt with tax rates and the legal status of prediction markets.
Lawmakers Target Illegal Gambling Sites
Labour MPs Songül Mutluer and Barbara Mohandis said the Kansspelautoriteit, the national gambling regulator, lacks the tools to take illegal sites offline quickly.
They proposed a central public list of unlicensed operators. Payment providers, hosting companies, and social media platforms could use the list to block these services.
The two MPs said the list should be easy for players to find. This would give people a simple way to check whether an operator is licensed before depositing money.
In a second motion, they called for a pilot programme to disrupt the networks behind illegal gambling. The government would work with the regulator, prosecutors, and police to focus on payment flows, hosting setups, and the people running these operations.
Tijs van den Brink backed plans to give authorities DNS blocking powers against foreign gambling sites. He said blocked users should see a warning about the risks of online gambling.
That message would also point users to Cruks, the national self-exclusion register, and to support services.
VVD MP Bikkers, supported by van den Brink and Mohandis, filed a motion on advertising. It asks the government to change the Gambling Act so that platforms that keep showing illegal gambling ads after removal requests would be committing an offence.
Under the plan, the regulator could fine those platforms directly or issue penalty orders. The motion cited thousands of monthly takedown requests sent to Meta that have not led to lasting results.
State Secretary Van Bruggen left the platform motion to MPs to decide. He advised against a separate motion from SGP MP Diederik van Dijk calling for a full ban on gambling ads, both online and offline.
Tax Rate and Prediction Markets Spark Debate
MP Nagip Al Biyati raised concerns about the gambling tax, which rose to 37.8% at the start of 2026. He said the higher rate has cut revenue and pushed more players toward illegal sites.
He noted that the Ministry of Justice and Security has admitted the increase did not improve protection against gambling harm. His motion asked for the rate to return to 34.2%.
The government called the proposal premature. It asked parliament to wait for a further review.
Al Biyati also spoke about prediction markets. Platforms such as Polymarket are treated as illegal gambling under Dutch law, even though they say they operate as financial markets.
He warned that banning them without a regulated option could push users to unlicensed foreign platforms. His motion asked the government to study whether prediction markets could be regulated under a new subcategory of gambling law.
The government declined to support that motion in its current form.
The accepted proposals are scheduled for a vote on September 29. Even if approved, most motions will not change the law right away. The government would first need to introduce the legal provisions before they take effect.
