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The three-hour debate on the Dutch gambling sector centred on a number of issues, including the illegal market, advertising and the legal age limit of 18.
Ten committee members, spanning the full political spectrum, addressed a number of research papers, sector activity reports and Justice State Secretary KT van Bruggen’s April 2026-dated letter, assessing the risks of gambling, and acknowledging the KSA’s estimation that channelisation had dropped below 50%.
While there were differing views on much of the content, one area in which Dutch MPs were united was the illegal market.
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In 2025, Brazil collected almost BRL10 billion ($1.97 billion) in tax revenue from the licensed sector. In the first seven months of this year alone, BRL8.7 billion generated by the activity was delivered to public coffers. The Federal Revenue Service itself estimates that the sector should reach BRL16 billion in revenue during 2026.
Besides revenue collection, another concern is legal and economic. Companies have paid over BRL2.5 billion for licences since the sector’s regulation. Certainly, the end of the activity would lead to litigation to recover the amounts paid and compensation for investments made. Furthermore, the revenue from betting is already included in the Annual Budget Law and the Budget Guidelines Law, which define the priorities for federal government spending.
What worries the sector is not just the threat of drastic measures against legalised betting. So far, the government has consistently fallen short in its attempts to curb the illegal market, which still represents almost half of the segment.
What is Bangkok Dreams?
This reliance places many high-value players at risk of “silent churn”, where VIP players become inactive without warning, posing a significant challenge for operators.
The report, titled The State of VIP Operations, was compiled by The Playa in collaboration with Gaming Operations Academy and WarriorLab.
Conducted in 2026, it surveyed 70 professionals actively engaged in VIP management, including VIP account managers, heads of VIP and consultants, with 64% employed directly by gambling operators.
