Expanded funding for gambling addiction prevention in the Netherlands, amounting to €21 million

The Netherlands has announced an extension of its Prevention of Gambling Addiction programme for another five years, with a €21 million investment. The programme, jointly overseen by the Dutch Gaming Authority (Kansspelautoriteit) and ZonMw, the national body for health research and innovation, aims to combat gambling addiction through various research initiatives.

Véronique Timmerhuis, Managing Director of ZonMw, identified gambling addiction as a pressing social issue and emphasized the need for effective solutions. The 2025-2030 programme will focus on five main themes: player vulnerability and behaviour, early risk detection, treatment methods, lived experience and participation, and the creation of a national knowledge infrastructure.

ZonMw believes that closer integration with broader mental health care is crucial for addressing gambling addiction. However, the 2025-2030 programme does not explicitly mention this as a focus. The Kansspelautoriteit's Chairman, Michel Groothuizen, also highlighted player protection as a key priority for the authority.

The programme will finance research projects, and initial findings from these projects are due to be published in the coming year. The research outcomes from projects initiated under the first programme will be showcased at the international Current Advances in Gambling Research conference in Amsterdam in 2024 and 2025.

ZonMw will further back initiatives that turn research insights into practical interventions. The interventions will be applied effectively in prevention and treatment, with the goal of reducing gambling harm. Increased investment in research and knowledge is considered vital by both ZonMw and the KSA in this endeavour.

Despite the extension of the programme, the specific investment amount for the 2025-2030 programme has not been mentioned. Closer integration with broader mental health care does not appear to be a primary focus for the new programme. Nonetheless, the commitment to addressing gambling addiction and its impact remains steadfast.

Expanded funding for gambling addiction prevention in the Netherlands, amounting to €21 million