The chair of the Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) Michel Groothuizen has urged international regulators to “join forces” to combat the “increasingly brutal illegal market”.
In a speech delivered at the International Association of Gaming Regulators conference, IAGR2025, in Toronto, Groothuizen called for cross-border cooperation to tackle the fast-developing black market, which took more than 50% of Dutch gambling revenue for the first time in H1 2025.
The KSA chair, who is a member of the board at the Gambling Regulators European Forum, warned of a black market “seeming to know fewer and fewer boundaries, both geographically and ethically”.
Groothuizen said part of the solution could be for regulators to “put our efforts mainly into a sort of gambling Interpol; first Europe-wide, but then perhaps worldwide”.
The KSA’s autumn report revealed that GGR for H1 2025 fell to €600m from €697m in H2 2024 to with the regulator attributing the drop to the introduction of new legislation such as stricter deposit limits, as well as black market growth.
Groothuizen said this highlighted the dangers of over-regulation.
“It is the illegal market that benefits from the stricter measures we impose on the legal market,” he said.
“This heightened focus on player protection and the curtailment of open standards therefore creates tension in our licensed market with circa 30 operators. In the run-up to licence renewal … I am curious to know which parties will decide to stay and invest further in the Dutch market, and which parties may abandon it.
“However, this does not mean that I intend to keep everyone on board at all costs,” he added.
The post KSA chair calls for a “gambling Interpol” to fight black market in IAGR speech first appeared on EGR Intel.
Michel Groothuizen argues a combination of international cooperation and vigilance regarding domestic overregulation is the best approach to curtail illegal operators.
The post KSA chair calls for a “gambling Interpol” to fight black market in IAGR speech first appeared on EGR Intel.