The Netherlands continues gambling harm prevention programme
The Gaming Authority and ZonMw launch a five-year initiative to strengthen research and treatment of gambling addiction.
Key points:
– The Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) and ZonMw will fund €21m ($24m) in independent research
– Expect to happen between 2025 and 2030
– The programme aims to improve prevention, early detection and treatment of gambling addiction
– Funding is drawn from the national Addiction Prevention Fund, financed by a levy on gambling operators
The Netherlands is reinforcing its focus on gambling harm prevention with the continuation of the Prevention of Gambling Addiction programme, now renewed for a further five years with an investment of €21m.
The initiative is led jointly by Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch Gaming Authority (KSA) and ZonMw, the national organisation for health research and innovation.
At the official launch, Ksa Chairman Michel Groothuizen underlined that “the protection of players is an important priority for the Ksa,” adding that further investment in knowledge will help reduce gambling-related harm.
ZonMw Managing Director Véronique Timmerhuis described gambling addiction as an “urgent social challenge” that demands effective solutions and stronger connections with other mental health fields.
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The programme, running from 2025 to 2030, will fund research into five core areas: player vulnerability and behaviour, early detection of risks, treatment practices, lived experience and participation and a national knowledge infrastructure.
ZonMw will also support the development opportunities and practical interventions to ensure that research findings are translated into real-world treatment and prevention measures.
Several projects launched under the first programme were presented at the international Current Advances in Gambling Research conference in Amsterdam in 2024 and 2025, with the first results expected in the coming year.
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