Netherlands councillor demands a rise in the legal gambling age due to a surge in youth debt

(AsiaGameHub) –   An escalating debt crisis among young people in the Dutch city of Enschede has led local CDA (Christian Democratic Party) politician Meryam Sümer to advocate for nationwide measures to hike the legal minimum age for online gambling from 18 to 24.

As reported by local outlet AD on Monday, she has also demanded stricter curbs on buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services and gambling advertisements.

Youth debt and advertisements

Recent municipal figures referenced by councillor and welfare worker Sümer indicate that one in five young people in Enschede is currently in debt.

The city documented 12,145 reports of problematic debt in 2025. Of these, 960 cases involved people facing potential eviction or having their essential utilities cut off.

Municipal authorities proactively worked with roughly 4,000 residents in financial distress, equating to about one-third of all cases. This engagement rate is significantly higher than the national average of approximately 20%.

Sümer pointed to readily available credit and pervasive online gambling access as key drivers of these financial struggles for Dutch youth.

She remarked: “Many youngsters do not yet have the financial awareness to handle multiple subscriptions, instalment purchases, and gambling offers that pop up on social media and in mobile games,” cautioning that these elements together create “serious problems” within the community.

Sümer further singled out gambling ads as a persistent concern. The Netherlands has enforced strict gambling advertising rules since 2013 under the Decree on Gambling Recruitment, Advertising and Addiction Prevention, which introduced a ban on gambling ads in public spaces in 2022.

Furthermore, the decree forbids advertising targeting anyone under 24. However, a recent study discovered that 31 out of 277 advertisements on Meta platforms (11.2%) were aimed at age groups including 18 to 23-year-olds.

Gambling age increase to 24

Reacting to these patterns, Sümer has called for legislation to raise the minimum age for online gambling from 18 to 24. She conceded that while an outright ban on such products would be ideal, it is not a realistic short-term prospect.

“The key is to reduce temptations (‘verleidingen’),” she stated, pushing for stronger regulations to protect young people from exposures that could result in problematic gambling or mounting debt.

Sümer is not the first to propose raising the gambling age. In February of last year, former state secretary for legal protection Teun Struycken put forward a plan to increase the age limit for online slots to 21. This proposal was coupled with an age-based restriction on overall deposit limits.

The idea faced opposition. The chairman of the Dutch gambling regulator (KSA) cautioned against the move, arguing it could push young people toward the black market.

“We already see minors doing so. And for young people under 21, the illegal supply will still be accessible with a few mouse clicks, while they will no longer be able to enter legal parties, which must adhere to a strict duty of care,” he wrote in a blog post in February 2025.

A phased approach?

A parliamentary debate followed a month later. Struycken recommended a gradual implementation of the age change to avoid driving youths toward illegal gambling markets.

During the discussion, Christian Union leader Bikker expressed reservations about raising the gambling age, stating it would be hard to enforce for a single vertical like slots. She proposed a universal age limit of 21 for all forms of gambling instead.

Elevating the minimum age for gambling and credit to 24 would be without precedent in Europe, where 18 is the commonly accepted norm.

Councillor Sümer is now encouraging other municipal representatives and political parties to lobby national lawmakers for regulatory changes.