Dutch regulator finds LeoVegas guilty of player negligence 

LeoVegas has landed in trouble with the Dutch gambling authority over player protection failures.

Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the regulator responsible for the market’s oversight in the Netherlands, reminded that gambling companies are required to comply with the country’s duty of care policies to minimise the risks of gambling harm.

“As far as [we are] concerned, LeoVegas did not comply sufficiently with that duty of care,” the KSA added.

The compliance infringements cover the period between October 2023 and May 2024, for which the regulator requested a number of player information files from LeoVegas and concluded that ‘all of them’ exhibited duty of care breaches.

One example saw a player incurring losses equal to “tens of thousands of euros” in a short timescale, with LeoVegas failing to intervene on time. Another player who exhibited “serious” signs of gambling harm was only interacted with through a pop-up notification, which is typically very easy to dismiss.

Michel Groothuizen, Board Chairman of the KSA, added: ‘The duty of care is an essential part of the wider range of player protection. Providers must respond adequately to immoderate play. 

“Large losses in a short time are an important signal of this. We have intensified our supervision of the duty of care and gambling providers are tackling this hard, because such an important part should not be neglected.”

As a result of the compliance shortcomings, LeoVegas – owned by MGM Resorts International – will now have to pay €500,000 in penalties.

New changes still coming in 2026

Regulatory scrutiny aside, 2025 has been an incredibly active and testing year for the Dutch market. January saw the first out of two gambling tax increases taking place, going up from 30.4% to 34.2% – with a further increase to 37.8% scheduled for next year.

Not only that, but the market also faced a government fallout earlier in June, which left a number of reforms to the Remote Gaming Act (KOA) up in the air for quite some time. 

Coming out of a fresh election cycle, the Netherlands is certain to remain a dynamic gambling jurisdiction even in 2026.