The Netherlands’ new centrist coalition government has finalised its ministerial line-up this week, with Claudia Van Bruggen due to take a leading role in implementing a “dossier of gambling reforms”.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Rob Jetten settled on his new Cabinet to lead the tri-party coalition, comprising Democraten 66 (D66), Christian Democrats (CDA) and Liberal Conservative Party (VVD).
Van Bruggen, a member of D66, was formerly appointed as State Secretary for Legal Protection and Prison Services, a role which falls under the Netherlands Ministry of Justice and Security.
In her remit, Van Bruggen will oversee the regulatory overhaul of Dutch gambling, including proceedings to establish a new online gambling regime to replace the Remote Gambling Act (KOA).
Van Bruggen will report to Justice Minister David van Weel, a member of VVD, and coordinate with wider departments on the overhaul of the country’s existing gambling framework.
Despite the regulated gambling market first launching in October 2021, an overhaul of the country’s regulations was subsequently authorised by the Kamer during the November 2025 snap election.
The framework had come under increasing fire from the wider industry, with former State Secretary of Legal Protection Teun Struycken noting that the KOA regime was no longer a viable framework. The claim was made in light of failings showcased by an independent evaluation of civic impacts and liabilities following KOA in 2023 and 2024.
The mandate to establish a new regulatory framework for Dutch gambling is supported by both the CDA and VVD.
Motions have been submitted to the Kamer, with some calling for a blackout of advertising and a requirement for all operators to reapply for licences under new scrutiny.
The new-look Gambling Act must rectify several core deficiencies. These include establishing new laws on player-protection, customer care and problem gambling-prevention measures, clearer duty-of-care obligations for operators as well as enhanced enforcement and supervision powers within the regulated market.
Regulatory protections around advertising restrictions and channelisation are expected to form a central pillar of the new framework. Lawmakers are also continuing to question whether current rules can effectively steer players away from the black market.
The overhaul is expected to intertwine with wider justice and social policy reforms pursued by D66 and its coalition partners.
These include revisions to debt and bankruptcy laws for citizens, changes to legal-aid provisions, plus strengthened privacy and data-protection standards in online environments.
These are key areas that the coalition believes are increasingly intersecting with gambling regulation as a digital risks, financial harms and consumer vulnerabilities are prioritised in the government’s agenda.
Van Bruggen’s appointment also draws on a professional background in healthcare, safety and vulnerability policy. Before entering national politics, she held senior roles at the Dutch Mental Healthcare Association, where she oversaw its healthcare and safety portfolio, and previously worked at the Salvation Army.
Her experience aligns with recent warnings from Michel Groothuizen, Chairman of Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), who ensures that any replacement for the KOA regime places suicide-intervention and crisis-protection measures at the heart of the new Gambling Act. Advice from Dutch addiction clinics, he has noted, consistently identifies suicide risk as the most severe and under-addressed harm associated of a regulated gambling market.
The coalition has stated that it will review all outstanding motions on Dutch gambling policy but has yet to publish a timeline for when it expects to submit its first draft of the new Gambling Act to the Kamer.
