5.35 euros per day - deposit limit in the Netherlands

Strict deposit limits for online casinos are expected to be introduced in the Netherlands next autumn. According to current plans, there will be not only daily, but also weekly and monthly limits for each player. Young players will be subject to particularly low limits. But could overly strict deposit limits jeopardise channelisation?

Back in the summer, we at GambleJoe reported that a weekly deposit limit of €200 per player had been introduced in Belgium. Very strict deposit limits are now also being discussed in the Netherlands. The current draft legislation includes daily, weekly and monthly limits. The proposal is currently under consultation. Representatives of the gambling industry have until the beginning of April to comment and express their concerns.

Deposit limit of around €5 per day for young players

According to the Dutch ministry's draft, players under the age of 23 will be subject to a daily deposit limit of €5.35 from October this year. Accordingly, the weekly limit for young players will be €37.50 and the monthly limit will be €150. For comparison: In Germany, a monthly deposit limit of €1,000 applies to all players, regardless of age. In November last year, we reported that the deposit limits at Lapalingo, Lord Lucky and Tigerspin had been raised significantly.

Older players allowed to deposit more money in online casinos

According to the bill, Dutch players aged 24 and over will be able to deposit a maximum of 12.50 euros per day. This results in a weekly deposit limit of €87.50 and a monthly limit of no less than €350.

It should be noted, however, that with such a limit, players must visit the online casino every day and make a separate deposit each day. This means that they cannot deposit €1,000 in one go on the first day of the month as they would in Germany, for example, and use up their entire limit in one go. This restriction would again significantly reduce the attractiveness of Dutch online casinos.

Increasing deposit limits should be possible with a lot of bureaucracy

However, the bill provides for the strict limits to be relaxed for all age groups under strict conditions. The prerequisite for this is that the player has a dialogue with the customer service of the respective online casino. It is interesting to note that the law stipulates that the support agent must explicitly use the word "lose" in every question. In addition, the casino employee must refer the player to a player protection organisation or other assistance in the event of problematic gambling behaviour, and keep a record of the entire conversation.

Surprisingly, the Dutch Gaming Board does not believe that the introduction of strict deposit limits will have a negative effect on channelling. They point to the results of a recent market research report, according to which players in the Netherlands spend an average of €170 per month on online gambling. According to the report, the average deposit amount for under-23s is only €59.

In the recent past, we have reported on several occasions that the Dutch Gaming Authority has been very strict in dealing with any infringements. For example, in an article published in March 2023, a fine of 25 million euros was imposed on seven online gambling operators.

UK also adopts stricter limits

At the end of February, it was announced that stricter limits would also apply to online casinos in the UK. It has already been decided that under 25s will be allowed to bet a maximum of GBP 2 per spin on virtual slots. For those over 25, the maximum bet will be GBP 5. In Germany, a maximum bet of one euro per spin will apply when new player protection regulations come into force in the summer of 2021.

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