What the Dutch ad and bonus ban means for your brand

Dutch online gambling is heading toward a market where operators have two routes left to reach players: their own website, and people who already search for them. That changes what the marketing budget should be spent on.

Where the rules stand today

The space for gambling marketing in the Netherlands has been shrinking step by step since the market opened in October 2021:

• Since July 2023, untargeted advertising for online gambling is banned. That rules out TV, radio, print, outdoor advertising and publicly accessible buildings.
• Well-known people and athletes may no longer appear in gambling ads.
• Since 1 July 2025, all sports sponsorship by online gambling operators is banned, from shirts to stadiums.
• The gambling tax rose to 37.8% of gross gaming revenue in 2026, leaving less margin to pay for acquisition.

What has been announced

In June 2026, the Dutch government announced it wants to ban online gambling advertising almost entirely. Two exceptions remain: licensed operators may still advertise on their own website, and stay visible in search results when people explicitly search for gambling sites.

On top of that, the government wants to ban bonuses such as free bets when opening an account, and introduce one overarching deposit limit across all online casinos, with an affordability check for players who want to raise it. ChristenUnie and SP have drafted a bill that goes even further, with a total advertising ban. Neither plan has a fixed date yet, but the direction is clear.

Why the brand becomes the deciding factor

If players can only find you when they search, the real question is: which brand do they search for? And if bonuses disappear, what makes them stay? Both answers come down to the same thing: brand preference.

1. Search becomes the battleground. But you only win the searches for your own name if people know you and prefer you. Generic searches will be fought over by every licensed operator at once.
2. Bonus-driven loyalty disappears. Players who stayed for the next promotion have no reason to stay. Retention will depend on the experience and on what the brand means to them.
3. Acquisition costs rise for brands without preference. Every player has to be won again through fewer channels, while tax eats into the margin.

What operators can do now

• Measure where you stand. How much of your traffic is organic or branded search, and how much is bought? How well do you retain players without bonuses? These are the numbers that will matter most.
• Decide what your brand stands for beyond the offer. When everyone has the same games, the same limits and no bonuses, the brand is what is left to choose.
• Make your own channels the main stage. Your website, app and CRM become the places where the brand has to do its work.
• Find creative routes within the rules. Restrictions have always rewarded brands that think differently, from Red Bull to the operators that win in Sweden.

The operators that start building brand preference now will pay less for every player when the rules tighten. The ones that wait will find that the channels they relied on are gone.