Payouts biggest complaint about illegal gambling sites
A reporting centre is seeing more indications of stalled payouts, but stresses that the figures do not constitute representative research.
Problems paying out winnings are the most common complaint about illegal online casinos, according to Meld Vals Spel. Between 1 June and 16 September, the reporting centre received 70 reports, but the initiative’s organisers warn that this sample does not reflect the market as a whole.
Meld Vals Spel is an initiative of the trade organisations VNLOK and NOGA. The reporting centre gathers indications of illegal and misleading online gambling. According to VNLOK, the share of reports about payout problems increased during the period examined compared with the preceding months.
The reports concern, for example, players who do not receive their winnings or face additional checks before money is transferred. As only people who know how to find the reporting centre submit reports, the 70 reports cannot be used to infer how many Dutch players are experiencing problems overall.
Illegal operators fall outside the Dutch licensing system. As a result, Dutch rules on player protection, age checks and self-exclusion do not apply in the same way or can be difficult to enforce. The Kansspelautoriteit has long warned about operators targeting Dutch players without a licence.
The official monitoring report on the licensed online market describes a different situation. According to the report, that market stabilised in spring 2026, while oversight of illegal offerings remains a separate problem. Figures on legal operators should therefore not be used directly to estimate the scale of illegal gambling sites.
For operators with a Dutch licence, the issue is commercially relevant because illegal competitors may apply lower standards and offer advertising or payment methods outside the regulated framework. At the same time, a reporting centre run by trade organisations cannot be regarded as independent market research; the interests of legal operators influence how the problem is presented.
The substance of the reports is practical: anyone who plays with an illegal operator has less certainty that a dispute over their balance or payout can be resolved through a Dutch regulator. That is not a judgement on every individual site, but it is a structural risk of gambling outside the licensing system.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- An industry reporting centre recorded 70 reports over a limited period.
- According to that reporting centre, payout problems were the biggest complaint.
- The Kansspelautoriteit oversees licence holders and illegal offerings.
Left
Arguments The emphasis is on strong player protection, limiting advertising and tackling platforms that make illegal operators accessible.
Values Public health, protecting vulnerable players and equal enforcement.
Consequences Stricter oversight could reduce harm, but could also push players towards less visible foreign sites if legal alternatives are not attractive enough.
Centre
Arguments The institutional approach combines licensing, oversight, financial controls and reliable complaints procedures. Decisions should be based on representative data, not only on reports from a trade organisation.
Values Proportionality, evidence and enforceability.
Consequences Targeted enforcement can bring order to the market without placing unnecessary burdens on legal operators.
Right
Arguments Adults should retain room to make their own choices, while illegal operators should be tackled primarily because they circumvent rules and disadvantage consumers. The government should not paternalistically ban every form of gambling.
Values Individual responsibility, market forces and equality before the law.
Consequences A clear licensing system and a firm approach to offenders can preserve freedom of choice without abandoning oversight.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The reporting figures were checked with VNLOK and an independent industry website, with the limitation that they do not constitute a representative sample. The legal context was checked against the Kansspelautoriteit and official parliamentary documents.
- confirmed Meld Vals Spel recorded 70 reports between 1 June and 16 September 2026. — VNLOK and CasinoNieuws.nl cite this number and period. source
- confirmed Payout problems were the most common complaint. — This is the central point of VNLOK’s publication and CasinoNieuws.nl’s reporting. source
- confirmed The reports do not constitute representative research. — VNLOK and CasinoNieuws.nl explicitly mention this limitation. source
- confirmed Illegal online operators fall outside the Dutch licensing system. — The Kansspelautoriteit describes the Dutch licensing system and illegal offerings. source
Editor's note
The number of reports and the nature of the complaints come from an industry initiative. The figures are not representative of all players or illegal operators.Sources
- Meldpunt: Problemen met uitbetaling grootste klacht over illegale goksites — VNLOK
- Meer meldingen bij Meld Vals Spel over uitbetalingen — CasinoNieuws.nl
- Monitoringsrapportage online kansspelen voorjaar 2026 — Tweede Kamer
- Aanpak misstanden — Kansspelautoriteit
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „online gokken”
- Het Parool — „online gokken”
- de Volkskrant — „online gokken”