Dutch Online Gambling Licences: The First Five-Year Renewals Under Stricter KSA Rules
The first wave of Dutch online gambling licences, issued in 2021, reached the end of its five-year term on 30 September 2026. The Netherlands Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit, KSA) has begun reissuing licences to operators that passed its renewal assessment. This article summarises what has been reported. It is general information, not legal advice, and operators should rely on the KSA's own publications for the detail.
Timeline
- The first licences under the Remote Gambling Act were issued in 2021 for five years and expired on 30 September 2026.
- Renewed licences run from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2031, according to trade reports.
- The KSA has reported that the first eight online licences have been reissued, as covered by iGB. Further decisions are expected as other applications conclude.
What is different for renewals
Existing licence holders go through a separate renewal process rather than a simple extension. Reported elements include:
- A full reassessment of player protection standards, including advertising and marketing policies.
- A new integration test for the regulator's central control database (CDB).
- Disclosure and explanation of any compliance breaches over the past five years, with evidence of the remedial steps taken.
New requirements for applicants since 1 January 2026
Stricter licensing conditions for remote gambling applied from 1 January 2026. Applicants are required to submit:
- A risk analysis under the Dutch anti-money laundering law (Wwft).
- An exit plan describing how the operator would wind down its Dutch activity if the licence ends early or approval is denied.
What this means for operators
- A clean five-year compliance record matters. Breaches must be disclosed, so incident logs and remediation evidence should be complete and easy to produce.
- Marketing is part of the licence assessment. That includes affiliate activity carried out for the operator.
- AML risk assessments should be current and documented, since the Wwft analysis is now a formal part of the application.
- Exit planning is now a licensing deliverable, not an internal contingency.
Operators considering the Dutch market should read the KSA's current licensing guidance and plan the timeline carefully. Assessment outcomes depend on the regulator's review of each application, and no outcome can be assumed. Official information is available from the Kansspelautoriteit.
Related services
Our team supports operators with gambling licensing and with compliance and AML programmes. To discuss how Dutch requirements affect your plans, contact the firm.
Information checked on 5 October 2026 against published trade reports of the KSA's renewal programme. Rules and guidance can change.