Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Netherlands Gambling Authority, has ordered all online gambling licensees to withdraw “share your bet” functionality across their platforms.

Primarily used by sportsbooks, the feature enables customers to share placed bets and betting slips via social media platforms such as Facebook and X, alongside messaging services including WhatsApp and email — allowing recipients to instantly view and replicate wagers.

However, a new regulatory determination by the KSA has concluded that the functionality breaches advertising and consumer-protection reforms introduced under the Remote Gambling Act (KOA).

The regulator explained: “It’s a way for providers to promote gambling, but indirectly through players themselves. According to the Decree on Recruitment, Advertising, and Addiction Prevention in Gambling, providers must ensure that advertising does not reach vulnerable groups, such as minors, young adults, and people with gambling problems.”

The KSA stressed that because players control who shared betting links are sent to, operators have no ability to prevent gambling promotions from reaching protected audiences — rendering the feature incompatible with Dutch advertising safeguards.

The withdrawal of “share your bet” aligns with a phased tightening of KOA marketing rules introduced since 2023. Licensed operators have faced progressively stricter limits on targeted advertising, with major reforms implemented in July 2023, July 2024 and July 2025, placing heightened protections around vulnerable groups — particularly young adults aged 18 to 24.

Beyond direct advertising risks, the regulator also warned that social sharing mechanics contribute to the normalisation of gambling behaviour online, lowering barriers to participation and amplifying peer-to-peer recruitment.

The KSA confirmed it will actively monitor platform features that may indirectly promote gambling and will not hesitate to take enforcement action where consumer-protection standards are breached.

2026: KOA under review

The action against “share your bet” features comes as part of a far broader political review of gambling advertising in the Netherlands, with the coalition government now backing proposals for an eventual blanket ban on all online gambling advertising.

Ministers have argued that aggressive promotion following market liberalisation has undermined public-health objectives and accelerated exposure among younger demographics, prompting a strategic pivot toward near-zero visibility for regulated gambling.

In 2026, the House of Representatives of the Netherlands (Tweede Kamer) is expected to review a new package of decrees and legislative articles aimed at replacing the KOA regime entirely with a revised long-term regulatory framework.

Under the leadership of PM Rob Jetten, the coalition is also examining structural controls on market size, including plans to place a limit on the number of online gambling licences. 

Together, the reforms signal a shift away from the original channelisation-led liberalisation model toward a tightly controlled and low-advertising gambling market.